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For Your Safety 183
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,andmanyothergroups,wascompletedinlate2000.Thisstandard
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”
hearingaidatthesametime.ThisstandardwasapprovedbytheIEEEin2000.
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/cellphones/
)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF Safety Program
(
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety
)
International Commission on Non-lonizing Radiation Protection
(
http://www.icnirp.de
)
World Health Organization (WHO) International EMF Project
(
http://www.who.int/emf
)
National Radiological Protection Board (UK)
(
http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/
)
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