Abstract
BackgroundWith the use of the third generation (3 G) mobile phones on the rise, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones in humans. The number of people with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), who complain of various subjective symptoms such as headache, dizziness and fatigue, has also increased. However, the origins of EHS remain unclear.MethodsIn this double-blind study, two volunteer groups of 17 EHS and 20 non-EHS subjects were simultaneously investigated for physiological changes (heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiration rate), eight subjective symptoms, and perception of RF-EMFs during real and sham exposure sessions. Experiments were conducted using a dummy phone containing a WCDMA module (average power, 24 dBm at 1950 MHz; specific absorption rate, 1.57 W/kg) within a headset placed on the head for 32 min.ResultsWCDMA RF-EMFs generated no physiological changes or subjective symptoms in either group. There was no evidence that EHS subjects perceived RF-EMFs better than non-EHS subjects.ConclusionsConsidering the analyzed physiological data, the subjective symptoms surveyed, and the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed, 32 min of RF radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones demonstrated no effects in either EHS or non-EHS subjects.
Highlights
With the use of the third generation (3 G) mobile phones on the rise, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones in humans
Physiological variables Heart rate, respiration rate, and low-frequency power (LFP)/High-frequency power (HFP) ratios of the non-electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) and EHS groups during real and sham exposure are shown in the top section of Table 2
A repeated two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant differences in heart rate, respiration rate, or LFP/HFP for stage and exposure in either group, except for LFP/HFP for stage in both groups, as shown in the bottom section of Table 2
Summary
With the use of the third generation (3 G) mobile phones on the rise, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones in humans. With the increasing use of third generation (3 G) mobile phones, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by mobile phones in humans [1]. Furubayashi et al measured psychological and cognitive parameters during pre- and post-exposure [7] They monitored physiological parameters, such as skin temperature, heart rate and local blood flow, and asked participants (EHS and nonEHS women) to report on their subjective perception of EMF emitted by WCDMA devices. They concluded that EHS and non-EHS groups did not differ in their responses to real or sham EMF exposure with respect to any psychological, cognitive, or autonomic parameter
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