iPods cleared of pacemaker interference charges

In what must surely come as a huge relief to both people with pacemakers and iPods everywhere, the Food and Drug Administration recently released a report confirming that iPods do not, in fact, interfere with the function of pacemakers. According to an article over at Ars Technica, the report was issued following a study by the FDA which concluded that "no interference effects can occur" when an iPod is in proximity to a pacemaker.

The FDA decided to conduct this new investigation and release the subsequent report after a student, 17-year old Jay Thaker, conducted his own study of 100 pacemaker-using patients as part of a school science project and concluded that iPods did interfere with pacemakers. In his report, Thaker stated that iPods "can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart."

Fortunately, at least according to the newly released FDA report, Thaker's conclusions appear to be unfounded. So, for those keeping score at home, that's a large, well-funded federal agency with lots of highly-trained and experienced medical personnel, one, 17-year old student with no experience or medical training of any kind, zero. I know, try to contain your surprise. You may now go back to blissfully enjoying your iPods.

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Source: http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/02/01/ipods-c…

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In what must surely come as a huge relief to both people with pacemakers and iPods everywhere, the Food and Drug Administration recently...

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news-spider

But the results apply ONLY to ipods. How about the hordes of inexpensively-produced flash-disk type MP3 players out there? They are as many as, if not more in number than iPods. What if they prove to be even more suspect?
child care and cardiac health

February 04 2008 at 2:11 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Stiv

Dude, why you gotta be hating on a 17 year old who's engaged with Science? Maybe you should go shove him into a locker...

February 03 2008 at 11:21 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

harrywolf

Hold the front page. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

February 03 2008 at 2:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

barrald

I know Jay Thaker (the student who did the original study) and I can tell you that it wasn't just him in his basement or something.
He was doing his research at Michigan State University, in a lab with trained scientists and in a controlled environment.

Please look into the actual study and the way it was performed before ripping into an incredibly inteligent student who was doing legitimate research, whether he was 17 or 70.

February 03 2008 at 1:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to barrald's comment

Paul

Agreed... I can't stand the quality of some of the 'journalism' this website accepts. It would be nice if the authors didn't just throw their opinions in your face, rather, they took the time to write from an impartial, un-biased standpoint.

I find the tone in which this article was written, very off putting.

February 04 2008 at 1:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

phil

i say the kid was right! FDA is evil

February 03 2008 at 1:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Brian Ward

Not that I think the iPod really interferes with pacemakers (though I'm still not willing to rule that out in the case of the iPod Touch's wifi features), but making the argument that the FDA is correct simply because the it is a large well-funded federal agency is a logical fallacy.

That said: I love my iPod and I really, really want to get an iPhone, but I'm waiting until the 2nd (or 3rd) generation.

February 03 2008 at 10:54 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

zmf001

Why did the FDA take so much time figuring this out? Doesn't the FCC tests required limits on EMI anyway?

I am just happy to see the FDA do something to help out a corporation, other than a medical or drug company.

February 03 2008 at 10:43 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Edsel

The iPod is my pacemaker.

February 03 2008 at 8:45 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply