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concerned about the RF exposure from these
products, you can use measures like those
described above to reduce your RF exposure from
wireless phone use.
10. What about children using wireless phones?
The scientific evidence does not show a danger to
users of wireless phones, including children and
teenagers. If you want to take steps to lower
exposure to radiofrequency energy (RF), the
measures described above would apply to
children and teenagers using wireless phones.
Reducing the time of wireless phone use and
increasing the distance between the user and the
RF source will reduce 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
Safety Guidelines