Abstract
Uncertainty in experimental studies of exposure to radiation from mobile phones has in the past only been framed within the context of statistical variability. It is now becoming more apparent to researchers that epistemic or reducible uncertainties can also affect the total error in results. These uncertainties are derived from a wide range of sources including human error, such as data transcription, model structure, measurement and linguistic errors in communication. The issue of epistemic uncertainty is reviewed and interpreted in the context of the MoRPhEUS, ExPOSURE and HERMES cohort studies which investigate the effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones on memory performance. Research into this field has found inconsistent results due to limitations from a range of epistemic sources. Potential analytic approaches are suggested based on quantification of epistemic error using Monte Carlo simulation. It is recommended that future studies investigating the relationship between radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation and memory performance pay more attention to treatment of epistemic uncertainties as well as further research into improving exposure assessment. Use of directed acyclic graphs is also encouraged to display the assumed covariate relationship.
Highlights
Mobile phone use and subsequent exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) via associated wireless technologies has become ubiquitous in the Western world with an estimated 6.9 billion subscriptions globally in 2014 [1]
The volume of data downloaded from mobile handsets has increased by 69% in the last year, which is consistent with trends observed elsewhere in countries such as the USA and the UK [7]
This review has investigated the concept of uncertainty analysis in relation to the field of RF-EMR
Summary
Mobile (cellular) phone use and subsequent exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) via associated wireless technologies has become ubiquitous in the Western world with an estimated 6.9 billion subscriptions globally in 2014 [1]. The steady proliferation of RF-EMR- emitting devices has raised concerns about potential adverse health effects from members of the general public, as well as expert groups such as the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health. Risks (SCENIHR) and the World Health Organization (WHO) [2,3]. Many studies have been conducted investigating the potential health effects of RF-EMR exposure; still the results have largely been inconsistent. Based on the results of the Interphone study [4], the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RF-EMR as a group 2B possible carcinogen [5]. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 592; doi:10.3390/ijerph15040592 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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