# cell phones

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 22, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152 "2002-09-22T18:09:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/5f8ce5/32.png) [@zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zipper)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/1 "2002-09-22T18:09:39Z")

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My wife told me that I could not use a cell phone in a hospital, but she could not say as to why. What is the reason if any?

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**Author:** ![Davidbw1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7993a0/32.png) [@Davidbw1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davidbw1)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/2 "2002-09-22T18:45:25Z")

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Cell phones interfere with some of the sensitive equipment used in hospitals. Wireless monitoring equipment, various testing equipment. Just like cell phones can mess with the telemetry on airplanes, just don’t use one.

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/3 "2002-09-22T18:48:34Z")

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[Study: Cell Phones Interfere with Medical Devices](http://sci.newsfactor.com/perl/story/6567.html).

Seems like this is only a problem when the cell phone comes within inches of another device, but the hospital is probably erring on the side of caution.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/4 "2002-09-22T19:04:12Z")

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Just to clarify **Davidbw1** statement some people have theorized that cellphones may interfere w/ hospital or airline equipment. AFAIK there has been NO reports of actual interference.

And just to add that cell phones do work in hospitals.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/5 "2002-09-22T19:44:10Z")

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Thanks for the study **attrayant** that is the 1st one that I’ve seen that actually points to interference.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/6 "2002-09-23T01:34:51Z")

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There’s an earlier thread, [here,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=125374) where Cnotechris and I got into a serious debate on this very question. There are numerous cites in it referring to interference test results.

IMHO, I won. Frankly, I wanted to argue more, after Cnotechris pitted me in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=125374) thread, but Cnotechris has disappeared off the board after his last post in it.

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**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/7 "2002-09-23T04:17:54Z")

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Whatever.

You didn’t win and I didn’t leave (Temporarily, it appears) over that. I got pissed off at another issue that had nothing to do with the bull-headedness that took place in that thread or the subsequent thread in the pit.

Put simply, don’t flatter yourself.

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phones/129152/8 "2002-09-23T04:21:06Z")

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Glad to see you’re back. Perhaps you’d like to respond in the Pit thread you started.