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Abstract
BackgroundEvidence about a possible causal relationship between non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) and exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by sources such as mobile phone base stations (BS) and powerlines is insufficient. So far little epidemiological research has been published on the contribution of psychological components to the occurrence of EMF-related NSPS. The prior objective of the current study is to explore the relative importance of actual and perceived proximity to base stations and psychological components as determinants of NSPS, adjusting for demographic, residency and area characteristics.MethodsAnalysis was performed on data obtained in a cross-sectional study on environment and health in 2006 in the Netherlands. In the current study, 3611 adult respondents (response rate: 37%) in twenty-two Dutch residential areas completed a questionnaire. Self-reported instruments included a symptom checklist and assessment of environmental and psychological characteristics. The computation of the distance between household addresses and location of base stations and powerlines was based on geo-coding. Multilevel regression models were used to test the hypotheses regarding the determinants related to the occurrence of NSPS.ResultsAfter adjustment for demographic and residential characteristics, analyses yielded a number of statistically significant associations: Increased report of NSPS was predominantly predicted by higher levels of self-reported environmental sensitivity; perceived proximity to base stations and powerlines, lower perceived control and increased avoidance (coping) behavior were also associated with NSPS. A trend towards a moderator effect of perceived environmental sensitivity on the relation between perceived proximity to BS and NSPS was verified (p = 0.055). There was no significant association between symptom occurrence and actual distance to BS or powerlines.ConclusionsPerceived proximity to BS, psychological components and socio-demographic characteristics are associated with the report of symptomatology. Actual distance to the EMF source did not show up as determinant of NSPS.
Highlights
Evidence about a possible causal relationship between non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) and exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by sources such as mobile phone base stations (BS) and powerlines is insufficient
* Correspondence: Christos.Baliatsas@rivm.nl 1Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands Full list of author information is available at the end of the article symptoms to relatively low-level exposure to Electromagnetic fields (EMF), emitted by sources such as mobile phone devices, base stations and powerlines [2,3,4,5]. This phenomenon of symptom attribution to EMF exposure is often referred to as “Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity” (EHS) and more recently as “Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to Electromagnetic Fields” (IEI-EMF) [6]
It shows no relation between actual distance to these EMF sources and NSPS
Summary
Evidence about a possible causal relationship between non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) and exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by sources such as mobile phone base stations (BS) and powerlines is insufficient. A considerable part of the general population does express serious concerns and attributes various health complaints and According to the World Health Organization (WHO) IEI-EMF is characterized by physical symptoms such as redness, tingling and burning sensations in the face, fatigue, tiredness, lack of concentration, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitation and digestive disturbances [7] These complaints are estimated to be prevalent in 1.5% of the general population in Sweden [2], 3.2% in California [8], 5% in Switzerland [3], 3.5% in Austria [4] and 10.3% in Germany [5] and seem to be frequently accompanied by occupational, social and mental impairment [9,10]. Gender, education, occupational status and ethnicity have been recognised as stable predisposing factors for the NSPS attributed to EMF [2,3,5,11]
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