of tablet 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 devices 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 device causes
brain tumors or other ill effects. Their recommendation
to limit wireless device use by children was strictly
precautionary; it was not based on scientific evidence
that any health hazard exists.
11. What about wireless communications device
interference with medical equipment?
Radio Frequency (RF) energy from wireless
communications devices 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 devices.
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 communications
device EMI.
The FDA has tested hearing aids for
interference from handheld wireless devices
and helped develop a voluntary standard
sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE). This standard
specifies test methods and performance
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