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Appendix B Message from the FDA
body or a small part of the body. It is measured in watts/kg (or milliwatts/g) of
matter. This measurement is used to determine whether a wireless phone complies
with safety guidelines.
9. What steps can I take to reduce my exposure to radiofrequency
energy from my wireless phone?
If there is a risk from these products--and at this point we do not know that there is-
-it is probably very small. But if you are concerned about avoiding even potential
risks, you can take a few simple steps to minimize your exposure to radiofrequency
energy (RF). Since time is a key factor in how much exposure a person receives,
reducing the amount of time spent using a wireless phone will reduce RF exposure.
If you must conduct extended conversations by wireless phone every day, you could
place more distance between your body and the source of the RF, since the exposure
level drops off dramatically with distance. For example, you could use a headset and
carry the wireless phone away from your body or use a wireless phone connected to
a remote antenna.
Again, the scientific data do 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 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?
Radiofrequency 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. 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 accompanied
hearing aid at the same time. This standard was approved by the IEEE in 2000.