ID Number		1122
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		900, 1800 MHz (GSM) exposure to residents from mobile phone base stations and analysis of subjective symptoms.
Details		A health survey carried out in Murcia, Spain, in the vicinity of an 1800 MHz (GSM) base station. Respondents were asked by questionnaire to assess "well-being" and health issues related to "microwave sickness" or "RF syndrome". Power density was measured in respondents homes. The authors report a significant correlation between severity of reported symptoms and measured power density. The separation of respondents into two different exposure groups showed an increase in reported symptoms in the group with higher exposure. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: (IEEE #5410): Objectives: We performed a re-analysis of the data from Navarro et al (2003) in which health symptoms related to microwave exposure from mobile phone base stations (BSs) were explored, including data obtained in a retrospective inquiry about fear of exposure from BSs. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: La Ñora (Murcia), Spain. Participants: Participants with known illness in 2003 were subsequently disregarded: 88 participants instead of 101 (in 2003) were analysed. Since weather circumstances can influence exposure, we restricted data to measurements made under similar weather conditions. Outcomes and methods: A statistical method indifferent to the assumption of normality was employed: namely, binary logistic regression for modelling a binary response (eg, suffering fatigue (1) or not (0)), and so exposure was introduced as a predictor variable. This analysis was carried out on a regular basis and bootstrapping (95% percentile method) was used to provide more accurate CIs. Results: The symptoms most related to exposure were lack of appetite (OR=1.58, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.03); lack of concentration (OR=1.54, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.89); irritability (OR=1.51, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.85); and trouble sleeping (OR=1.49, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.84). Changes in 2 log likelihood showed similar results. Concerns about the BSs were strongly related with trouble sleeping (OR =3.12, 95% CI 1.10 to 8.86). The exposure variable remained statistically significant in the multivariate analysis. The bootstrapped values were similar to asymptotic CIs. Conclusions: This study confirms our preliminary results. We observed that the incidence of most of the symptoms was related to exposure levels independently of the demographic variables and some possible risk factors. Concerns about adverse effects from exposure, despite being strongly related with sleep disturbances, do not influence the direct association between exposure and sleep. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Mortazavi G and Mortazavi SM 2015 (IEEE #6940): Over the past decades, the use of common sources of electromagnetic fields such as Wi-Fi routers and mobile phones has been increased enormously all over the world. There is ongoing concern that exposure to electromagnetic fields can lead to adverse health effects. It has recently been shown that even low doses of mercury are capable of causing toxicity. Therefore, efforts are initiated to phase down or eliminate the use of mercury amalgam in dental restorations. Increased release of mercury from dental amalgam restorations after exposure to electromagnetic fields such as those generated by MRI and mobile phones has been reported by our team and other researchers. We have recently shown that some of the papers which reported no increased release of mercury after MRI, may have some methodological errors. Although it was previously believed that the amount of mercury released from dental amalgam cannot be hazardous, new findings indicate that mercury, even at low doses, may cause toxicity. Based on recent epidemiological findings, it can be claimed that the safety of mercury released from dental amalgam fillings is questionable. Therefore, as some individuals tend to be hypersensitive to the toxic effects of mercury, regulatory authorities should re-assess the safety of exposure to electromagnetic fields in individuals with amalgam restorations. On the other hand, we have reported that increased mercury release after exposure to electromagnetic fields may be risky for the pregnant women. It is worth mentioning that as a strong positive correlation between maternal and cord blood mercury levels has been found in some studies, our findings regarding the effect of exposure to electromagnetic fields on the release of mercury from dental amalgam fillings lead us to this conclusion that pregnant women with dental amalgam fillings should limit their exposure to electromagnetic fields to prevent toxic effects of mercury in their fetuses. Based on these findings, as infants and children are more vulnerable to mercury exposures, and as some individuals are routinely exposed to different sources of electromagnetic fields, we possibly need a paradigm shift in evaluating the health effects of amalgam fillings.
Findings		Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		Shiraz Univ of Med Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Funding Agency		Spanish Ministry of Sci and Tech
Country		IRAN (ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF)
References		Navarro, EA et al. Electromagnetic Biol. Med., (2003) 22:161-169 Gómez-Perretta, C et al. BMJ Open. , (Dec 30 2013) 3:- Mortazavi, SM J Biomed Phys Eng., (2014) 4:39-40 Gómez-Perretta, CJ et al. J Biomed Phys Eng., (2014) 4:41-42 Mortazavi, SA et al. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy., (2016) 77:78-79 Parsaei, H et al. Ecopsychology., (2017) 9:99-105 Mortazavi, G et al. Rev Environ Health., (2015) 30:287-292
Comments		No defined exposure assessment, simply field probe measurements in each respondents bedroom taken during the middle of the day (11am - 7pm - when that is probably the only time the respondents would not be in their bedroom). Most importantly, no blinded questionnaire - the study was subject to bias, the authors even prompted responses by asking about "microwave sickness" and "RF syndrome".