Abstract
BackgroundEffects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure (RF-EMF) from mobile phone use on sleep quality has mainly been investigated in cross-sectional studies. The few previous prospective cohort studies found no or inconsistent associations, but had limited statistical power and short follow-up. In this large prospective cohort study, our aim was to estimate the effect of RF-EMF from mobile phone use on different sleep outcomes. Materials and methodsThe study included Swedish (n = 21,049) and Finnish (n = 3120) participants enrolled in the Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS) with information about operator-recorded mobile phone use at baseline and sleep outcomes both at baseline and at the 4-year follow-up. Sleep disturbance, sleep adequacy, daytime somnolence, sleep latency, and insomnia were assessed using the Medical Outcome Study (MOS) sleep questionnaire. ResultsOperator-recorded mobile phone use at baseline was not associated with most of the sleep outcomes. For insomnia, an odds ratio (OR) of 1.24, 95% CI 1.03–1.51 was observed in the highest decile of mobile phone call-time (>258 min/week). With weights assigned to call-time to account for the lower RF-EMF exposure from Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS, 3G) than from Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM, 2G) the OR was 1.09 (95% CI 0.89–1.33) in the highest call-time decile. ConclusionInsomnia was slightly more common among mobile phone users in the highest call-time category, but adjustment for the considerably lower RF-EMF exposure from the UMTS than the GSM network suggests that this association is likely due to other factors associated with mobile phone use than RF-EMF. No association was observed for other sleep outcomes. In conclusion, findings from this study do not support the hypothesis that RF-EMF from mobile phone use has long-term effects on sleep quality.
Highlights
Since the introduction of mobile phones, concerns have been raised regarding potential adverse health effects associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure (SCENIHR, 2015)
There were some differences between countries in the prevalence of the sleep outcomes at follow-up, especially for sleep disturbance which was more common in Finland, and insomnia which was more common in Sweden (Supplementary Table A.2)
We found an increased prevalence of insomnia at follow-up among participants in the top decile of mobile phone calltime (> 258 min/week), but this association diminished after adjustment for the level of RF exposure generated by the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) compared to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network
Summary
Since the introduction of mobile phones, concerns have been raised regarding potential adverse health effects associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure (SCENIHR, 2015). The main feature of COSMOS is the prospective collection of exposure information and long-term follow-up of health outcomes, to avoid biases inherited in cross-sectional designs and retrospective exposure assessment. This is in line with research agendas issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) (SCENIHR, 2009; WHO, 2010). Conclusion: Insomnia was slightly more common among mobile phone users in the highest call-time category, Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; COSMOS, Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health; GSM, 2G, Global System for Mobile Communications; MOS, Medical Outcome Study; OR, Odds ratio; REM sleep, Rapid eye movement sleep; RF-EMF, Radiofrequency electromagnetic field; SF-12, 12-Item Short Form Health Survey; UMTS, 3G, Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service
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