Abstract
Previous epidemiological studies on health effects of radiation exposure from mobile phones have produced inconsistent results. This may be due to experimental difficulties and various sources of uncertainty, such as statistical variability, measurement errors, and model uncertainty. An analytical technique known as the Monte Carlo simulation provides an additional approach to analysis by addressing uncertainty in model inputs using error probability distributions, rather than point-source data. The aim of this investigation was to demonstrate using Monte Carlo simulation of data from the ExPOSURE (Examination of Psychological Outcomes in Students using Radiofrequency dEvices) study to quantify uncertainty in the output of the model. Data were collected twice, approximately one year apart (between 2011 and 2013) for 412 primary school participants in Australia. Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate output uncertainty in the model due to uncertainties in the call exposure data. Multiple linear regression models evaluated associations between mobile phone calls with cognitive function and found weak evidence of an association. Similar to previous longitudinal analysis, associations were found for the Go/No Go and Groton maze learning tasks, and a Stroop time ratio. However, with the introduction of uncertainty analysis, the results were closer to the null hypothesis.
Highlights
Mobile phones have become very common in social contexts and are used for communications, internet browsing, as global positioning systems, calendars, and other program applications
This study aimed to investigate the effects of mobile phone use with cognitive function and to address concerns over model uncertainty by updating the covariate structure used in the model
The previous longitudinal analysis, which investigated whether an increase in mobile phone use at follow-up from baseline was associated with cognitive function changes, found similar significant associations
Summary
Mobile (cellular) phones have become very common in social contexts and are used for communications, internet browsing, as global positioning systems, calendars, and other program applications (apps). Children and adolescents often own mobile phones and are being exposed to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) at younger ages [1,2,3,4]. One emerging area of research interest is the possible health effects that mobile phone RF-EMF may have on the developing cognitive. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2428; doi:10.3390/ijerph16132428 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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