User's Manual

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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.
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 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”