Mobile Phone Base Stations: Eltiti et al. Respond

Abstract

Three letters have questioned the validity of the conclusions drawn in our recent article on the short-term effects of GSM (global system for mobile communication) and UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) base station signals (Eltiti et al. 2007). Most of the concerns are founded in misunderstandings of the study, and we hope to clarify these issues here. We assessed whether people could detect the presence of a 10-mW/m2 signal over a 50-min period (not 10 μW as claimed by Zinelis). This level of exposure is roughly equivalent to standing within 60 m of a mobile phone base station and was based on prior scientific evidence (Mann et al. 2000). We also measured a range of variables within three classes of response: physiological response, self-reported well-being, and actual symptoms experienced.