Pacemakers

[Krypton]

Does any one know the dangers of having a pacemaker and living next to a mobile phone mast , within 50 meters of our house /

[househunterthethird3]

you get a better reception

[Calliope153]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on people with heart problems of the radiation emitted from mobile phone masts, with particular reference to those with pacemakers.

Hansard source

(Citation: HC Deb, 22 March 2005, c768W).

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and its predecessor the Medical Devices Agency (MDA) has monitored research activities undertaken by pacemaker manufacturers to assess potential pacemaker interference from mobile phones, by participating in European and International pacemaker safety standards committees.

For implanted pacemakers the power level and severity of interference signals from phone masts is much less than for mobile phones in proximity to the patients. MHRA issued guidance to clinicians about possible interference effects to pacemakers from mobile telephones in February 1996, via Pacemaker Technical Note PTN 61, which advised a minimum phone to pacemaker separation distance of 15 centimetres.

Hope this helps.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Calliope153]

You beat me to it - the radiation from a mast is less than that from a mobile phone. The general guideline is to keep sources of radiation at least 6"away. However, if you have an induction hob the distance is 2'. One piece of equipment to steer well clear of are the powerful electromagnets in factories and scrap yards.

The biggest danger from mobile phones is using them at the wheel and annoying the people behind you in a supermarket queue! I mention the latter as yesterday a woman was holding a conversation while trying to pack her shopping and then with the phone still clamped to get ear proceeded to empty a vast handbag to find her credit card.