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Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF
emissions from wireless phones, there is no reason
to believe that accessories that claim to shield the
head from those emissions reduce risks. Some
products that claim to shield the user from RF
absorption use special phone cases, while others
involve nothing more than a metallic accessory
attached to the phone. Studies have shown that
these products generally do not work as advertised.
Unlike “hand-free” kits, these so-called “shields”
may interfere with proper operation of the phone.
The phone may be forced to boost its power to
compensate, leading to an increase in RF
absorption. In February 2002, the Federal trade
Commission (FTC) charged two companies that sold
devices that claimed to protect wireless phone
users from radiation with making false and
unsubstantiated claims. According to FTC, these
defendants lacked a reasonable basis to
substantiate their claim.
9. What about wireless phone interference with
medical equipment?
Radio frequency energy (RF) from wireless phones
can interact with some electronic devices. For this
reason, 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 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.
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159
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.
FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless
phones for possible interactions with other medical
devices. Should harmful interference be found to
occur, FDA will conduct testing to assess the
interference and work to resolve the problem.
10.What are the results of the research done
already?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting
results, and many studies have suffered from flaws
in their research methods. Animal experiments
investigating the effects of radio frequency energy
(RF) exposures characteristic of wireless phones
have yielded conflicting results that often cannot be
repeated in other laboratories. A few animal
studies, however, have suggested that low levels of
RF could accelerate the development of cancer in
laboratory animals. However, many of the studies
that showed increased tumor development used
animals that had been genetically engineered or
treated with cancer causing chemicals so as to be
pre-disposed to develop cancer in the absence of RF
exposure. Other studies exposed the animals to RF
for up to 22 hours per day. These conditions are not
similar to the conditions under which people use
wireless phones, so we don t know with certainty
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