Cellular phone interference testing of implantable cardiac defibrillators in vitro.
Bassen HI, Moore HJ, Ruggera PS · 1998
View Original AbstractCell phones can interfere with life-saving heart devices at distances up to 6 centimeters, causing dangerous malfunctions.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested how digital cell phones affect implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), medical devices that shock the heart back into rhythm during dangerous arrhythmias. They found that phones using TDMA technology could cause ICDs to malfunction when held within 2-6 centimeters of the device, either preventing necessary pacing or triggering inappropriate high-voltage shocks. The interference stopped immediately when phones were moved away from the ICD.
Why This Matters
This 1998 study reveals a critical safety concern that extends beyond theoretical EMF health effects into immediate, life-threatening device interference. While ICDs save lives by correcting dangerous heart rhythms, this research demonstrates that the very technology we carry daily can disrupt these essential medical devices at close range. The science shows that TDMA phones (common in the late 1990s) created electromagnetic interference within 6 centimeters that could either prevent life-saving therapy or trigger dangerous unnecessary shocks. What makes this particularly significant is that this represents direct, measurable interference with medical equipment, not subtle biological effects that take years to manifest. Though phone technology has evolved since 1998, this study established the foundation for current medical device safety guidelines that recommend keeping phones at least 6 inches from pacemakers and ICDs.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: TDMA- 11 Hz and 50 Hz
Study Details
An in vitro study was undertaken to investigate the potential for cellular telephones to interfere with representative models of presently used ICDs.
Digital cellular phones (DCPs) generate strong, amplitude modulated fields with pulse repetition rat...
DCPs with Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) pulsed amplitude modulation caused the most pronounce...
Show BibTeX
@article{hi_1998_cellular_phone_interference_testing_1884,
author = {Bassen HI and Moore HJ and Ruggera PS},
title = {Cellular phone interference testing of implantable cardiac defibrillators in vitro.},
year = {1998},
doi = {10.1111/j.1540-8159.1998.tb00268.x},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-8159.1998.tb00268.x},
}