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Safety Guidelines
RF exposure. Some groups sponsored
by other national governments have
advised that children be discouraged
from using wireless phones at all.
For example, the government in the
United Kingdom distributed leaflets
containing such a recommendation in
December 2000. They noted that no
evidence exists that using a wireless
phone causes brain tumors or other ill
effects. Their recommendation to limit
wireless phone use by children was
strictly precautionary; it was not based
on scientific evidence that any health
hazard exists.
11. What about wireless phone
interference with medical
equipment?
Radio frequency energy (RF) from
wireless phones can interact with
some electronic devices. For this
reason, the FDA helped develop a
detailed test method to measure
electromagnetic interference (EMI)
of implanted cardiac pacemakers
and defibrillators from wireless
telephones. This test method is now
part of a standard sponsored by the
Association for the Advancement of
Medical instrumentation (AAMI). The
final draft, a joint effort by the FDA,
medical device manufacturers, and
many other groups, was completed
in late 2000. This standard will allow
manufacturers to ensure that cardiac
pacemakers and defibrillators are safe
from wireless phone EMI. The FDA has
tested hearing aids for interference
from handheld wireless phones and
helped develop a voluntary standard
sponsored by the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This
standard specifies test methods and
performance requirements for hearing
aids and wireless phones so that no
interference occurs when a person
uses a ‘compatible’ phone and a
‘compatible’ hearing aid at the same
time. This standard was approved by
the IEEE in 2000. The FDA continues
to monitor the use of wireless phones
for possible interactions with other
medical devices. Should harmful
interference be found to occur, the
FDA will conduct testing to assess the
