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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
limitwirelessphoneusebychildrenwasstrictlyprecautionary;
itwasnotbasedonscientificevidencethatanyhealthhazardexists.
11. What about wireless phone interference with medical
equipment?
Radiofrequency energy (RF) from wireless phones can interact with some
electronic devices. For this reason, the FDA helped develop a detailed test
methodtomeasureelectromagneticinterference(EMI)ofimplantedcardiac
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
safefromwirelessphoneEMI.TheFDAhastestedhearingaidsforinterference
from handheld wireless phones and helped develop a voluntary standard sponsored
bytheInstituteofElectricalandElectronicEngineers(IEEE).Thisstandardspecifies
test methods and performance requirements for hearing aids and wireless phones
so that no interference occurs when a person uses a ' c ompatible' phone and a
' c ompatible'hearingaidatthesametime.ThisstandardwasapprovedbytheIEEE
in 2000. The FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless phones for possible
interactions with other medical devices. Should harmful interference be found to
occur, the FDA will conduct testing to assess the interference and work to resolve
the problem.
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