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Health and Safety Information
190
used against the head or against the body. Either configuration should
result in compliance with the safety limit.
8. Do wireless phone accessories that claim to shield the head from RF
radiation work?
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.
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