Mobile Phone Exposure Research Articles

The effects of 30 min 3G mobile phone exposure on thermal pain threshold in healthy human volunteers

Event Abstract Back to Event The effects of 30 min 3G mobile phone exposure on thermal pain threshold in healthy human volunteers Zsuzsanna Vécsei1, 2*, Árpád Csathó3, György Thuróczy1 and István Hernádi2 1 National Research Institute of Radiobiology and Radiohygiene, Department of Non-ionizing Radiation, Hungary 2 University of Pecs, Department of Exerimental Zoology and Neurobiology, Faculty of Science, Hungary 3 University of Pecs, Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Medical School, Hungary In the present study the effect of a single 30 min 3G mobile phone like electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure was examined on heat ramp evoked thermal pain threshold (TPT) in young healthy human volunteers. In the first experiment (Exp. 1), a miniature telemetric thermal stimulator system was designed and validated with capsaicin-induced, short term hypersensitivity tests in simultaneous TPT measurements on the fingertips of the two index fingers in 20 healthy human volunteers in a single blind experimental arrangement. In the second experiment (Exp. 2), 10 new volunteers were recruited for an EMF provocation study. In a single-blind task design, subjects were exposed to either genuine or sham irradiation in two separate sessions (genuine EMF or SHAM) with at least one week break between the sessions. In each session, 6 blocks of 3 TPT trials were recorded on the tips of each index finger. Experimental data were recorded at –30, 0, 15, 30, 60 90 min. EMF/SHAM exposure lasted from 0-30 min. Results of Exp. 1 indicate that the newly designed measurement system was successfully validated with hypersensitivity inducing agent capsaicin. Our preliminary results from Exp. 2 support the notion, that a single 30 min irradiation from new generation 3G mobile phones may not induce measurable changes in TPT or VAS pain ratings in the given time window of the experimental design. The present results indicate that a single exposure to 3G mobile phones does not interfere with basic somatosensory mechanisms in healthy human subjects. Conference: IBRO International Workshop 2010, Pécs, Hungary, 21 Jan - 23 Jan, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Sensory and motor systems Citation: Vécsei Z, Csathó Á, Thuróczy G and Hernádi I (2010). The effects of 30 min 3G mobile phone exposure on thermal pain threshold in healthy human volunteers. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: IBRO International Workshop 2010. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.10.00271 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 06 May 2010; Published Online: 06 May 2010. * Correspondence: Zsuzsanna Vécsei, National Research Institute of Radiobiology and Radiohygiene, Department of Non-ionizing Radiation, Budapest, Hungary, zsuzska84@yahoo.de Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Zsuzsanna Vécsei Árpád Csathó György Thuróczy István Hernádi Google Zsuzsanna Vécsei Árpád Csathó György Thuróczy István Hernádi Google Scholar Zsuzsanna Vécsei Árpád Csathó György Thuróczy István Hernádi PubMed Zsuzsanna Vécsei Árpád Csathó György Thuróczy István Hernádi Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Ongoing Mobile Phone Research Studies and Latest Findings Where Available

ISEE-0157 Abstract: There is some scientific and public concern that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may increase risk of disease, especially in children, having thinner skulls, developing/immature brains and long lifespans. Many epidemiological studies have evaluated the relationship between mobile phones and health, particularly brain tumors. As pointed out by both WHO and EU, none of these studies have addressed the effects in children and most have been case-control studies which are by design limited to predefined outcomes and inherently prone to recall bias particularly with extended recall periods. Several studies addressing these deficiencies are in progress. For adults COSMOS, a multinational cohort is being established in Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and UK with a size (200.000+) and timeframe (25+ years) allowing detailed analyses even of rare outcomes and special user groups. Repeated questionnaires allow the study to reflect the evolving technology. The first population-based results have been provided by the less detailed cohort of adult Danish subscription holders (420.000) which has been analyzed for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. For children there now exist two cohort studys: Danish National Birth Cohort; mothers provided data on mobile phone exposure of their children (13.000), during pregnancy and childhood. The cohort has been analyzed for behavioral problems. MoRPhEUS; an Australian study where 300 teenagers have repeatedly provided data on use of mobile phones and been tested for cognitive abilities. Furthermore two case-control studys of brain tumors in children are being setup: CEFALO is a collaboration between Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and the UK (start in 2005. age range: 6–19, expecting 550 cases in total). Exposure is assessed from structured interviews and operator provided records. MobiKids: Similar in design to CEFALO (age range: 10–24. expected cases: 1900, start in 2009, 12 countries).

PO29-FR-07 Mobile phone exposure as a risk factor of migraine: an intervention study

PO29-FR-07 Mobile phone exposure as a risk factor of migraine: an intervention study

Mobile phones exposure induces changes of contingent negative variation in humans

Event-related potentials have been largely employed to test effects of GSM emissions on human brain. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of initial contingent negative variation (iCNV) changes, induced by 900 MHz GSM exposure, in a double blind design in healthy volunteers, subjected to a threefold experimental condition, EXPOSED (A), a real GSM phone emitting electromagnetic power, SHAM (B), a real phone where the electromagnetic power was dissipated on an internal load and OFF (C), a phone completely switched-off. Ten healthy right-handed volunteers were evaluated. The CNV was recorded during a 10 min time interval in each of the three experimental conditions A, B, and C, in order to assess the iCNV amplitude and habituation. The iCNV amplitude decreased and habituation increased during both A and B conditions, compared with condition C. This effect was diffuse over the scalp, and there was no significant prevalence of iCNV amplitude reduction on the left side, were the phones were located. Mobile Phones exposures A and B seemed to act on brain electrical activity, reducing the arousal and expectation of warning stimulus. This evidence, limited by the low number of subjects investigated, could be explained in terms of an effect induced by both the GSM signal and the extremely low frequency magnetic field produced by battery and internal circuits.

Spatial Memory Perfomance of Wistar Rats Exposed to Mobile Phone

INTRODUCTIONWith the tremendous increase in number of mobile phone users world wide, the possible risks of this technology have become a serious concern.OBJECTIVEWe tested the effects of mobile phone exposure on spatial memory performance.MATERIALS AND METHODSMale Wistar rats (10–12 weeks old) were exposed to 50 missed calls/day for 4 weeks from a GSM (900/1800MHz) mobile phone in vibratory mode (no ring tone). After the experimental period, the animals were tested for spatial memory performance using the Morris water maze test.RESULTSBoth phone exposed and control animals showed a significant decrease in escape time with training. Phone exposed animals had significantly (~3 times) higher mean latency to reach the target quadrant and spent significantly (~2 times) less time in the target quadrant than age- and sex-matched controls.CONCLUSIONMobile phone exposure affected the acquisition of learned responses in Wistar rats. This in turn points to the poor spatial navigation and the object place configurations of the phone-exposed animals.

Acute Mobile Phones Exposure Affects Frontal Cortex Hemodynamics as Evidenced by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

This study aimed to evaluate by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), the effects induced by an acute exposure (40 mins) to a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) signal emitted by a mobile phone (MP) on the oxygenation of the frontal cortex. Eleven healthy volunteers underwent two sessions (Real and Sham exposure) after a crossover, randomized, double-blind paradigm. The whole procedure lasted 60 mins: 10-mins baseline (Bsl), 40-mins (Exposure), and 10-mins recovery (Post-Exp). Together with frontal hemodynamics, heart rate, objective and subjective vigilance, and self-evaluation of subjective symptoms were also assessed. The fNIRS results showed a slight influence of the GSM signal on frontal cortex, with a linear increase in [HHb] as a function of time in the Real exposure condition (F(4,40)=2.67; P=0.04). No other measure showed any GSM exposure-dependent changes. These results suggest that fNIRS is a convenient tool for safely and noninvasively investigating the cortical activation in MP exposure experimental settings. Given the short-term effects observed in this study, the results should be confirmed on a larger sample size and using a multichannel instrument that allows the investigation of a wider portion of the frontal cortex.

Effect of Mobile Phone Exposure on Apoptotic Glial Cells and Status of Oxidative Stress in Rat Brain

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mobile phone exposure on glial cells in brain. The study carried out on 31 Wistar Albino adult male rats. The rat heads in a carousel exposed to 900 MHz microwave. For the study group (n:14), rats exposed to the radiation 2h per day (7 days in a week) for 10 months. For the sham group (n:7), rats were placed into the carousel and the same procedure was applied except that the generator was turned off. For the cage control (n:10), nothing applied to rats in this group. In this study, rats were euthanized after 10 months of exposure periods and brains were removed.Brain tissues were immunohistochemically stained for the active (cleaved) caspase-3, which is a well-known apoptosis marker, and p53. The expression of the proteins was evaluated by a semi-quantitative scoring system. However, total antioxidative capacity (TAC), catalase, total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index were measured in rat brain.Final score for apoptosis in the exposed group was significantly lower than the sham (p < 0.001) and the cage control groups (p < 0.01). p53 was not significantly changed by the exposure (p > 0.05). The total antioxidant capacity and catalase in the experimental group was found higher than that in the sham group (p < 0.001, p < 0.05). In terms of the TOS and oxidative stress index, there was no statistically significant difference between exposure and sham groups (p > 0.05).In conclusion, the final score for apoptosis, total antioxidant capacity and catalase in rat brain might be altered by 900 MHz radiation produced by a generator to represent exposure of global systems for mobile communication (GSM) cellular phones.

Mobile phones and hearing - A review

Mobile phones and hearing - A review Mobile phones are being widely used throughout the world. Although there is no clear evidence of harmful effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation at the levels used by these devices, there is widespread public concern that there may be potential for harm. Of all anatomical structures, the ear is closest to the mobile phone, which may lead to relatively high energy deposition in the ear compared to other parts of the body. Till the year 2000 only a few studies had addressed potential adverse effects of EMFs on the hearing system. The potential adverse effects of mobile phone exposure on the hearing system should be investigated, because mobile phones are usually held close to the ear. Until now, most studies have assessed the influence of RF radiation on the central or peripheral auditory system. However, clear conclusions cannot be drawn from these studies regarding the presence or absence of effects because of the limitations in the audiological and/or dosimetric approaches and limited sample sizes. results. Although the presence of possible effects on hearing threshold levels cannot be dismissed entirely, the evidence available is not sufficiently strong to conclude that there are adverse effects. A replication study with a shift in hearing threshold levels at high frequencies as the a priori hypothesis is desirable to resolve this issue.

Mobile phone exposure and spatial memory

Radiofrequency (RF) emission during mobile phone use has been suggested to impair cognitive functions, that is, working memory. This study investigated the effects of a 2 1/2 h RF exposure (884 MHz) on spatial memory and learning, using a double-blind repeated measures design. The exposure was designed to mimic that experienced during a real-life mobile phone conversation. The design maximized the exposure to the left hemisphere. The average exposure was peak spatial specific absorption rate (psSAR10g) of 1.4 W/kg. The primary outcome measure was a "virtual" spatial navigation task modeled after the commonly used and validated Morris Water Maze. The distance traveled on each trial and the amount of improvement across trials (i.e., learning) were used as dependent variables. The participants were daily mobile phone users, with and without symptoms attributed to regular mobile phone use. Results revealed a main effect of RF exposure and a significant RF exposure by group effect on distance traveled during the trials. The symptomatic group improved their performance during RF exposure while there was no such effect in the non-symptomatic group. Until this new finding is further investigated, we can only speculate about the cause.

Effect of Mobile Phones on Trace Elements Content in Rat Teeth

ABSTRACTWidespread use of wireless communication made it necessary to investigate the long term effect of mobile phone, which is the most popular technological equipment in the earth. One of the important parts of body that absorbs radiation emitted from mobile phones is oral tissue. However, mobile phone users and also scientists usually do not pay attention on effect of mobile phone exposure on oral tissue. Therefore, there is no epidemiological and experimental studies focused on this part of body. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) -Modulated 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation on trace element content of rat teeth. Thirty one Wistar Albino adult male rats were divided into three groups: experimental group (each, n=14), shame group (n=7), and cage control group (n=10). Head of the rats in the experimental group were exposed to GSM-Modulated 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation for 2 hours per day during ten months. At the end of the exposure period, the contents of some trace elements as Ca, Mg, Zn, and P were measured in the oral tissue. The measurements were performed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). However, phosphorus content of teeth was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometer (UVS).Changes of Mg, and Zn contents in the experimental group were found to be statistically significant according to the sham and cage control groups. Ca and P contents in the experimental group were higher than the sham and cage control groups. Difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The results of the study showed that GSM-Modulated 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation can be a factor to alter the teeth trace elements' densities. However, further studies are necessary to know whether GSM-Modulated 900 MHz radiofrequency radiations affects the oral tissues such as the teeth.

Effect of Long Term Mobile Phone Exposure on Oxidative-Antioxidative Processes and Nitric Oxide in Rats

ABSTRACTThe effects of radiation emitted from cellular phones on humans are an emerging area of investigation. The previous studies have shown the role of oxidative stress and NO at radiofrequency exposed rats. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of microwave/radiofrequency emitted from mobile phones and its possible oxidative damage. Wistar Albino rats were divided into three groups as exposure, sham and cage control. Rats in exposure group were exposed to 900 MHz microwave radiation (0.0782 mW/cm2) in a carousel for 2 hours/7 days in a week during ten months. The same process was applied to sham group but the generator was turned off. Rats in cage control group were kept in cage only during the study. The levels of catalase (CAT), myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI) in liver and nitric oxide (NO) levels in serum were determined to demonstrate the role of oxidative mechanisms. The increase of nitric oxide levels in exposure and sham groups were found significant compared to cage control group (p<0.01, p<0.05). Although serum NO levels increased in exposed rats, the difference between exposure and sham groups was not significant (p>0.05). MDA and TOS levels in liver tissue were found higher in exposed group compared to sham and cage control group (p<0.05). However, no significant alterations were found in other endpoints such as CAT, MPO, TAC and OSI. In this study we showed that 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation emitted from mobile phones exhibited an increase on MDA and TOS levels. Therefore, RF radiation emitted from GSM cellular phone may play a role to induce oxidative damage by increasing lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.

The effects of 884 MHz GSM wireless communication signals on headache and other symptoms: An experimental provocation study

Findings from prior studies of possible health and physiological effects from mobile phone use have been inconsistent. Exposure periods in provocation studies have been rather short and personal characteristics of the participants poorly defined. We studied the effect of radiofrequency field (RF) on self-reported symptoms and detection of fields after a prolonged exposure time and with a well defined study group including subjects reporting symptoms attributed to mobile phone use. The design was a double blind, cross-over provocation study testing a 3-h long GSM handset exposure versus sham. The study group was 71 subjects age 18-45, including 38 subjects reporting headache or vertigo in relation to mobile phone use (symptom group) and 33 non-symptomatic subjects. Symptoms were scored on a 7-point Likert scale before, after 1(1/2) and 2(3/4) h of exposure. Subjects reported their belief of actual exposure status. The results showed that headache was more commonly reported after RF exposure than sham, mainly due to an increase in the non-symptom group. Neither group could detect RF exposure better than by chance. A belief that the RF exposure had been active was associated with skin symptoms. The higher prevalence of headache in the non-symptom group towards the end of RF exposure justifies further investigation of possible physiological correlates. The current study indicates a need to better characterize study participants in mobile phone exposure studies and differences between symptom and non-symptom groups.

Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response

BackgroundThere are about 1.6 billion GSM cellular phones in use throughout the world today. Numerous papers have reported various biological effects in humans exposed to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones. The aim of the present study was to advance our understanding of potential adverse effects of the GSM mobile phones on the human hearing system.MethodsAuditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was recorded with three non-polarizing Ag-AgCl scalp electrodes in thirty young and healthy volunteers (age 18–26 years) with normal hearing. ABR data were collected before, and immediately after a 10 minute exposure to 900 MHz pulsed electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by a commercial Nokia 6310 mobile phone. Fifteen subjects were exposed to genuine EMF and fifteen to sham EMF in a double blind and counterbalanced order. Possible effects of irradiation was analyzed by comparing the latency of ABR waves I, III and V before and after genuine/sham EMF exposure.ResultsPaired sample t-test was conducted for statistical analysis. Results revealed no significant differences in the latency of ABR waves I, III and V before and after 10 minutes of genuine/sham EMF exposure.ConclusionThe present results suggest that, in our experimental conditions, a single 10 minute exposure of 900 MHz EMF emitted by a commercial mobile phone does not produce measurable immediate effects in the latency of auditory brainstem waves I, III and V.

Effects of mobile phone exposure on time frequency fine structure of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions

Mobile phones have become very commonly used worldwide within a short period of time. To date there is only limited knowledge about interaction between electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by mobile phones and the auditory function. Moreover, there is widespread concern that there may be potential for harm. The aim of this study was to assess potential subtle changes in cochlear function by measuring the temporal and spectral fine structure of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) in normal hearing subjects after exposure to EMFs emitted by Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) mobile phones. TEOAEs were recorded in 27 healthy young adults before and after 10 min of real or sham exposure in a double-blind design. TEOAE data were analyzed both globally (broadband analysis) and using the Wavelet Transform (analysis of the time-frequency fine structure). The broadband analysis revealed no significant effect on TEOAEs related to exposure, confirming results of previous studies; in addition, no significant change was detected in the analysis of the elementary wavelet components, suggesting that the temporal and spectral fine structure of TEOAEs is not affected by 10 min exposure to low-intensity EMFs emitted by GSM mobile phones.

The effect of mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the alpha rhythm of human electroencephalogram

Mobile phones (MP) emit low-level electromagnetic fields that have been reported to affect neural function in humans; however, demonstrations of such effects have not been conclusive. The purpose of the present study was to test one of the strongest findings in the literature; that of increased "alpha" power in response to MP-type radiation. Healthy participants (N = 120) were tested using a double-blind counterbalanced crossover design, with each receiving a 30-min Active and a 30-min Sham Exposure 1 week apart, while electroencephalogram (EEG) data were recorded. Resting alpha power (8-12 Hz) was then derived as a function of time, for periods both during and following exposure. Non-parametric analyses were employed as data could not be normalized. Previous reports of an overall alpha power enhancement during the MP exposure were confirmed (relative to Sham), with this effect larger at ipsilateral than contralateral sites over posterior regions. No overall change to alpha power was observed following exposure cessation; however, there was less alpha power contralateral to the exposure source during this period (relative to ipsilateral). Employing a strong methodology, the current findings support previous research that has reported an effect of MP exposure on EEG alpha power.

Mobile Phone Exposure Does Not Induce Apoptosis on Spermatogenesis in Rats

Some studies have reported that microwave radiation can have adverse effects on reproduction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the apoptosis-inducing effect of mobile phone exposure on spermatogonia in seminiferous tubules. The study was carried out on 31 Wistar albino adult male rats. The rats were separated into three groups in this study (cage control: 10, sham group: 7, and exposed group: 14). For the study group, rats were exposed to radiation 2 h/day (7 days/week) for 10 months. For the sham group, rats were placed into the carousel and the same procedure was applied except that the generator was turned off. For the cage control, nothing was applied to the rats in this group and they completed their life cycle in the cage during the study period. In this study, rats were sacrificed after 10 months of exposure and their testes were taken. Testes tissue was immunohistochemically stained for the active (cleaved) caspase-3. Positively stained cells were counted in up to ten different areas, and the frequency of positive cells was determined in percentage. Scoring was done by taking into account both the intensity of staining and the distribution of positively stained cells. Therefore, protein expression was evaluated by a semiquantitative scoring system. The final score for apoptosis of testes in the exposed group was not statistically significant according to the sham and the cage control groups (p>0.05). The results of this study showed that 2 h/day (7 days/week) exposure of 900 MHz radiation over a period of 10 months does not affect the active (cleaved) caspase-3 levels in testes, a well-known feature of typical apoptosis.

Effects of high frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by mobile phones on the human motor cortex

We investigated whether the pulsed high frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by a mobile phone has short term effects on the human motor cortex. We measured motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), before and after mobile phone exposure (active and sham) in 10 normal volunteers. Three sites were stimulated (motor cortex (CTX), brainstem (BST) and spinal nerve (Sp)). The short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) of the motor cortex reflecting GABAergic interneuronal function was also studied by paired pulse TMS method. MEPs to single pulse TMS were also recorded in two patients with multiple sclerosis showing temperature dependent neurological symptoms (hot bath effect). Neither MEPs to single pulse TMS nor the SICI was affected by 30 min of EMF exposure from mobile phones or sham exposure. In two MS patients, mobile phone exposure had no effect on any parameters of MEPs even though conduction block occurred at the corticospinal tracts after taking a bath. As far as available methods are concerned, we did not detect any short-term effects of 30 min mobile phone exposure on the human motor cortical output neurons or interneurons even though we can not exclude the possibility that we failed to detect some mild effects due to a small sample size in the present study. This is the first study of MEPs after electromagnetic exposure from a mobile phone in neurological patients.

Study on SARs in Head Models With Different Shapes by Age Using SAM Model for Mobile Phone Exposure at 835 MHz

Four head models with the outer shapes of different ages were established using the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) model of IEEE Standard 1528. The criteria of head height, face length, head length, and head breadth by age were applied to build the models. We assumed that the shells of all the head models have the same dielectric properties with the head-equivalent tissue in order to simulate a real pressed ear. The cheek and tilt positions of three bar-type phone models were used, and the positioning processes against each head model were described in detail. Antenna input impedances of the phones under the test positions and specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions in the head models were computed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. Spatial peak SARs averaging over 1 and 10 g were compared for fixed input and radiated powers of all the phones. The effect of the dielectric properties in a younger head model on SAR result was analyzed. First, input resistance of the phone antennas in the cheek position gradually increased when head size grew with age, but those for the tilt position showed a slight decrease. Second, for a fixed input power, the head models by age changed peak 1- and 10-g SARs by approximately 15%. The electromagnetic absorption depths in the head models in the same test position were about the same, but the head-averaged SAR was higher in the younger model because of the smaller head volume. Third, for a fixed radiated power, the peak SARs got relatively lower in the smaller head model and higher in the larger head model, compared with those for the fixed input power since the smaller head model needs lower input power. Fourth, it was shown that simultaneous change in the conductivity and permittivity of head tissue within 20%-30% did not have a significant influence on energy absorption.

Effects of thirty-minute mobile phone exposure on saccades

Objective To investigate whether exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field (pulsed EMF) emitted by a mobile phone has short-term effects on saccade performances. Methods A double blind, counterbalanced crossover design was employed. In 10 normal subjects, we studied the performance of visually guided saccade (VGS), gap saccade (GAP), and memory guided saccade (MGS) tasks before and after exposure to EMF emitted by a mobile phone for thirty minutes or sham exposure. We also implemented a hand reaction time (RT) task in response to a visual signal. Results With the exception of VGS and MGS latencies, the parameters of VGS, GAP and MGS tasks were unchanged before and after real or sham EMF exposure. In addition, the latencies of VGS and MGS did not change differently after real and sham exposure. The hand RT shortened with the repetition of trials, but again this trend was of similar magnitude for real and sham exposures. Conclusions Thirty minutes of mobile phone exposure has no significant short-term effect on saccade performances. Significance This is the first study to investigate saccade performance in relation to mobile phone exposure. No significant effect of mobile phone use was demonstrated on the performance of various saccade tasks, suggesting that the cortical processing for saccades and attention is not affected by exposure to EMF emitted by a mobile phone.

Pulsed and continuous wave mobile phone exposure over left versus right hemisphere: Effects on human cognitive function

The possible effects of continuous wave (CW) and pulse modulated (PM) electromagnetic field (EMF) on human cognition was studied in 36 healthy male subjects. They performed cognitive tasks while exposed to CW, PM, and sham EMF. The subjects performed the same tasks twice during each session; once with left-sided and once with right-sided exposure. The EMF conditions were spread across three testing sessions, each session separated by 1 week. The exposed hemisphere, EMF condition, and test order were counterbalanced over all subjects. We employed a double-blind design: both the subject and the experimenter were unaware of the EMF condition. The EMF was created with a signal generator connected via amplifier to a dummy phone antenna, creating a power output distribution similar to the original commercial mobile phone. The EMF had either a continuous power output of 0.25 W (CW) or pulsed power output with a mean of 0.25 W. An additional control group of 16 healthy male volunteers performed the same tasks without any exposure equipment to see if mere presence of the equipment could have affected the subjects' performance. No effects were found between the different EMF conditions, separate hemisphere exposures, or between the control and experimental group. In conclusion, the current results indicate that normal mobile phones have no discernible effect on human cognitive function as measured by behavioral tests.