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phone connected to a remote antenna.
Again, the scientific data does not
demonstrate that wireless phones are
harmful. But if you are 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 Radio Frequency (RF)
energy, 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 (RF) energy from
wireless phones can interact with
some electronic devices. For this
reason, the FDA helped develop a
detailed test method to measure
Electro Magnetic 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
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