User's Manual

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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.
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” hearing aid
simultaneously. This standard was approved by the IEEE 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.