User's Manual

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.

12. Where can I find additional information?

For additional information, please refer to the following resources:

FDA web page on wireless phones (http://www.fda.gov), under

“C” in the subject index, select Cell Phones > Current Research

Results. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF Safety

Program (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/cellular.html) International

Commission on Nonionizing Radiation Protection

(http://www.icnirp.de)

World Health Organization (WHO) International EMF Project