iPods and cardiac pacemakers
p2pnet.net news:- We already know that at a usurious $1 a download for iTunes songs, iPods are dangerous to your wealth. But it now turns out they may be dangerous to some peoples’ health as well.
“iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student to a meeting of heart specialists on Thursday,” says Reuters.
“The study tested the effect of the portable music devices on 100 patients, whose mean age was 77, outfitted with pacemakers. Electrical interference was detected half of the time when the iPod was held just 2 inches from the patient’s chest for 5 to 10 seconds.”
Lead author of the study, Jay Thaker, is a student at Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan, says TechShout, stating, “Thaker concluded that iPod interference can lead physicians to misdiagnose actual heart function.”
Thaker’s father is an electro physicist and, “apparently, Thaker asked his father about a potential interaction between pacemakers and iPods,” says the story.
“In some cases, the iPods caused interference when held 18 inches from the chest,” says Reuters. “Interfering with the telemetry equipment caused the device to misread the heart’s pacing and in one case caused the pacemaker to stop functioning altogether.”
The study didn’t examine any portable music devices other than iPods, it adds.
An iPod would literally make your heart go pitter-pat. But so, says Guidant, would: body-fat measuring scales; electrolysis (hair removal); and, magnetic mattresses/chairs.
PCs are safe, though ;P
Also See:
Reuters – iPods can make pacemakers malfunction, May 10, 2007
TechShout – Ipods can cause Pacemakers to Malfunction: Study, May 11, 2007
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May 11th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
wonder what make and model of ipod?
this is a common knowledge i imagine if you held any electrical equipment that close to a patient it would cause problems.
should it not be the pace maker that is shielded from interference?
May 11th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
The FCC in the us has some weird rule that anything that uses electricity has to be unshielded as far as electromagnetic radiation goes if you want to be able to sell it in the us.
I’m assuming it’s because they dont want terrorists to be able to keep on using their toasters after Bush decides he’s had enough and orders them to be nuked. I honestly can’t think of any other reason why the us govt would care if your electrical appliances are proof against EM radiation or not.
My guess is that the pacemakers are also not allowed to be shielded from EM radiation for the same reason.