A new study out of the Netherlands has shown that cellular phones, particularly the 2nd generation (2G) models, have an interference effect on a good number of electronic medical devices that were tested, including ventilators, external pacemakers, and dialysis machines, among others.
A total of 61 different medical devices were tested, and the majority could be affected by the presence of a mobile.
In particular, nine intensive care ventilators were checked, and seven of these could be “influenced” by mobiles.
Of these, six were described by the researchers as “hazardous”, involving a direct physical influence on the patient.
Critical care monitors were also vulnerable, with seven out of 13 disrupted by mobile signals, while three out of seven syringe pumps were affected.
Other devices which suffered problems were dialysis machines, external pacemaker machines, feeding pumps and even air humidifiers.
Though the article talks about interference, it is not clear what effect this interference has on the functionality of the devices. It is one thing to have a screen flicker in a device when a cell phone connection is established, but a very different issue if that device is actually providing skewed numbers. Though informative, this study does not seem to end the controversy. Developing…
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