9. What steps can I take to reduce my
exposure to Radio Frequency 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 Radio Frequency
(RF) energy. 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 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
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