161In February 2002, the Federal trade Commission (FTC) charged two companies thatsold devices that claimed to protect wireless phone users from radiation withmaking false and unsubstantiated claims. According to FTC, these defendantslacked a reasonable basis to substantiate their claim.What about wireless phone interference withmedical equipment?Radio frequency energy (RF) from wireless phones can interact with some electronicdevices. For this reason, FDA helped develop a detailed test method to measureelectromagnetic interference (EMI) of implanted cardiac pacemakers anddefibrillators from wireless telephones. This test method is now part of a standardsponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Medical instrumentation(AAMI). The final draft, a joint effort by FDA, medical device manufacturers, andmany other groups, was completed in late 2000. This standard will allowmanufacturers to ensure that cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators are safe fromwireless phone EMI. FDA has tested wireless phones and helped develop a voluntarystandard sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Thisstandard specifies test methods and performance requirements for hearing aids andwireless phones so that no interference occurs when a person uses a compatiblephone and a compatible hearing aid at the same time. This standard was approvedby the IEEE in 2000.FDA continues to monitor the use of wireless phones for possible interactions withother medical devices. Should harmful interference be found to occur, FDA willconduct testing to assess the interference and work to resolve the problem.Additional information on the safety of RF exposures from various sources can beobtained from the following organizations (Updated 12/1/2006):• FCC RF Safety Program:http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):http://www.epa.gov/radiation/• Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA):http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/index.html• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH):http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html• World Health Organization (WHO):http://www.who.int/peh-emf/
