new study: earbud interference

• by agoss
• 2008-11-10 10:11:41
• Interferences
• 2439 views
• 1 comments

This is a quote from an article in yesterday's Toronto Star:
"In research presented today at a major heart conference in New Orleans, Harvard University scientists said headphones, most commonly used for digital players, can interfere with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators if placed in close proximity."
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/article/533894

This is not the iPod problem that was in the news a while ago. This new study says that earbuds shouldn't come within about 3 cm (1.2 ") of the pacemaker.

"It can cause the heart to beat erratically, it can cause palpitations, or things like that." The article advises that you don't carry your earbuds in your shirt pocket, or let an earbud fall over your shoulder when you take them out (like at the Y when you're talking to someone.)

I've noticed this magnetic interference when I put a rechargeable flashlight—one that has a sliding magnet—in my shirt pocket and felt strange.