SAFETY GUIDELINES
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
SAFETY GUIDELINES
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