In the Cell Phones on Planes episodes of Mythbusters, it was shown both that cell phones could cause interference (in the homemade cockpit) and that cell phones probably would not cause interference (in a real cockpit that’s probably more like real planes in use today). Of course, any one who travels today knows that whether there is any validity to the argument or not, you aren’t supposed to have your phone on (on “phone” mode) while the plane is in the air.
Naturally, most of us also know that there are probably dozens of phones left on during any flight, either on purpose or out of forgetfulness, and generally there isn’t any problem. So I for one would probably side with the Mythbusters in this regard. But that has to do with planes. What about in other locations? Do cell phones really cause interference to the point that it could be detrimental to our health, or even dangerous to the surroundings?
My mom was in the hospital a little while back, and I tried to turn off my phone while I was there, even though I wasn’t terribly concerned about interference. I was mostly doing it out of courtesy – to give her a chance to rest. It is perhaps worth noting that not all of her visitors felt the same, and at least one of them (who did visit a number of times) not only did not turn their phone off, but stayed on the phone with some regularity. Even my dad used his phone a good bit, mostly to take calls from people checking on my mom, but he had to turn it off to allow her to get some sleep.
There is at least one article that alleges to have evidence of cell phones causing interference with monitoring devices in a hospital. Tested near 61 devices, there were 48 “incidents” in 26 devices!
What’s more, a third of those incidents (that’s 16, for those of you who may have issues with math) were deemed hazardous, such as totally switching off and restarting a mechanical ventilator, completely stopping syringe pumps without setting off an alarm, and causing incorrect pulses in an external pacemaker. Wow. That’s some severe consequences of taking a phone call. And there’s no evidence of how far away you had to be, but the article mentions staying at least a meter away from equipment. I’m thinking shutting the thing off – or leaving it in the car – isn’t a bad idea.
Mainly because another 42% of the incidents were classified as “significant” but not hazardous. Examples of these were incorrectly setting off an alarm or inaccurately monitoring blood pressure. Annoying to someone (either a nurse or the patient), but not necessarily dangerous. The remaining incidents were considered “light,” such as disruptions of monitor displays that didn’t require immediate attention.
Still, potentially annoying, and at worst, you’re talking interrupting someone’s rest time – in a hospital, definitely important. Then again, maybe they ought to simply invest in some ads like they do at the movies, telling people to shut off their cell phones and pagers.