Health and safety information
84
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. FDA has tested 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.
Additional information on the safety of RF exposures
from various sources can be obtained from the
following organizations:
• FCC RF Safety Program:
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration's
(OSHA):
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/
radiofrequencyradiation/index.html
• National institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH):
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emfpg.html
• World health Organization (WHO):
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/
• International Commission on Non-Ionizing
Radiation Protection:
http://www.icnirp.de
• National Radiation Protection Board (UK):
http://www.nrpb.org.uk
• Updated 4/3/2002: US food and Drug
Administration
http://www.fda.gov/cellphones
