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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.
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 that
accessories that claim to shield the head 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.
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
Health and Safety Information
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