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Safety
Do wireless phone acces sories that claim to shield the head from RF radiation wo rk?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF emiss ions from
wireless phones, there is no reason to believe that accesso ries
that claim to shield the head from those emissions redu ce risks.
Some products that claim to shield the user from RF a bsorption
use special phone cases, while others involve nothi ng more than
a metallic accessory attached to the pho ne. Studies have shown
that these products generally do not work as advertis ed. Unlike
“hands-free” kits, these so-calle d “shields” may interfere with proper
operation of the phone. The phone may be forced to boo st its power
to compensate, leading to an increase in RF absorption. In F ebruary
2002, the Federal Trade Commission (F TC) charged two companies
that sold devices that claimed to protect wireless phone us ers from
radiation with making false and unsubstantiated claims. Ac cording to
FTC, these defendants lacked a reasonable basis to substa ntiate their
claim.
What about wireless phon e interference with medical equipment?
Radiofrequency energy (RF) from wireless p hones can interact with
some electronic devices. For this reason, FDA he lped develop a
detailed test method to measure electromagnetic inter ference (EMI)
of implanted cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators from wirele ss
telephones.
This test method is now part of a standard sponsored by th e
Association for the Advancement of Medical Inst rumentation (AAMI).
The final draft, a joint effort by FDA , medical device manufacturers,
and many other groups, was completed in late 200 0. This standard
will allow manufacturers to ensure that cardiac pacemakers and
defibrillators are safe from wireless phone EMI.
FDA has tested hearing aids for interference from handhe ld wireless
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