User's Manual

6. What about children using wireless phones?
The scientific evidence does not show a danger to users of wireless phones, including children and teenagers. If you want to take steps to lower
exposure to radio frequency energy (RF), the measures described above would apply to children and teenagers using wireless phones. Reducing
the time of w ireless phone use and increasing the distance between the user and the RF source will reduce RF exposure.
Some groups sponsored by other national governments have advised that children be discouraged from using wireless phones at all. For example,
the government in the United Kingdom distributed leaflets containing such a recommendation in December 2000. They noted that no evidence
exists that using a wireless phone causes brain tumors or other ill effects. Their recommendation to limit wireless phone use by children was
strictly precautionary ; it was not based on scientific evidence that any health hazard exists.
7. Do hands-free kits for wireless phones reduce risks from exposure to RF emissions?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF emissions from wireless phones, there is no reason to believe that hands-free kits reduce
risks. Hands-free kits can be used with wireless phones for convenience and comfort. These systems reduce the absorption of RF energy in the
head because the phone, which is the source of the RF emissions, will not be placed against the head. On the other hand, if the phone is
mounted against the waist or other part of the body during use, then that part of the body will absorb more RF energy. Wireless phones
marketed in the U.S. are required to meet safety requirements regardless of whether they are used against the head or against the body. Either
configuration should result in compliance with the safety limit.
8. Do wireless phone accessories that claim to shield the head from RF radiation work?
Since there are no known risks from exposure to RF emissions from wireless phones, there is no reason to believe tha t accessories that claim to
shield the h ead from those emissions reduce risks. Some products that claim to shield the user from RF absorption use special phone cases, while
others involve nothing more than a metallic accessory attached to the phone. Studies have shown that these products generally do not work as
advertised. Unlike hand-free kits, these so-called "shields" may interfere with proper operation of the phone. The phone may be forced to boost
its power to compensate, leading to an increase in RF absorption. In February 2002, the Federal trade Commission (FTC) charged two companies
that sold devices that claimed to protect wireless phone users from radiation with making false and unsubstantiated claims. According to FTC,
these defendants lacked a reasonable basis to substantiate their claim.
9. What about wireless phone interference with medical equipment?
Radio frequency energy (RF) from wireless phones can interact with some electronic devices. For this reason, FDA helped develop a detailed test
method to measure electromagnetic 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 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.
FDA has tested hearing aids for interference from hand held 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 that no interference occurs when a person uses a compatible phone and a compatible hearing aid at the same time. This standard
was approved by the IEEE in 2000.
FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless phones for possible interactions with other medical devices. Should harmful interference be found
to occur, FDA will conduct testing to assess the interference and work to resolve the problem.
10. What are the results of the research done already ?
The research done thus far has produced conflicting results, and many studies have suffered from flaws in their research methods. Animal
experiments investigating the effects of radio frequency energy (RF) exposures characteristic of wireless phones have yielded conflicting results
that often cannot be repeated in other laboratories. A few animal studies, however, have suggested that low levels of RF could accelerate the
development of cancer in laboratory animals. However, many of the studies that showed increased tumor development used animals that had been
genetically engineered or treated with cancer-causing chemicals so as to be pre-disposed to develop cancer in the absence of RF exposure. Other