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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.
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 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 (Updated 12/1/2006):
•
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/homepage.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.hpa.org.uk/radiation