ID Number		1153
Study Type		Human / Provocation
Model		ELF exposures and analysis of subjective symptoms (perception and hypersensitivity) in adults and children
Details		Volunteers (adults and children, normal and self reported EHS) exposed to electric currents with vs. without ELF magnetic fields and examined for perception and hypersensitivity in a provocation study. The authors report EHS individuals had greater sensitivity to percieve low frequency fields than normal individuals. In a study using children, ability to percieve magnetic fields was also reported. In subsequent studies, the authors interviewed volunteers (n = 526) and reported a majority (70%) felt electromagnetic pollution could be a risk factor to health, 30% felt base station or transmission line exposures directly impacted their health, 49% felt such exposures could exacerbate existing diseases, 13% claimed ability to feel nearby electrical sources, 38% took precautions, and 10% were actively looking for information on EM pollution. When asked whether the media triggered the concern over EM pollution, 24% thought they had. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Leitgeb and Schrottner 2003 (IEEE #6639): Electromagnetic sensibility, the ability to perceive electric and electromagnetic exposure, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), developing health symptoms due to exposure to environmental electromagnetic fields, need to be distinguished. Increased electrosensibility is a necessary, however, not a sufficient condition for electromagnetic hypersensitivity. At an extended sample of the general population of 708 adults, including 349 men and 359 women aged between 17 and 60 years, electrosensibility was investigated and characterized by perception threshold and its standard deviation. By analyzing the probability distributions of the perception threshold of electric 50 Hz currents, evidence could be found for the existence of a subgroup of people with significantly increased electrosensibility (hypersensibility) who as a group could be differentiated from the general population. The presented data show that the variation of the electrosensibility among the general population is significantly larger than has yet been estimated by nonionizing radiation protection bodies, but much smaller than claimed by hypersensitivity self-aid groups. These quantitative results should contribute to a less emotional discussion of this problem. The investigation method presented, is capable of exclusion diagnostics for persons suffering from the hypersensitivity syndrome.
Findings		Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		Graz University of Technology, Austria - norbert.leitgeb@tugraz.at
Funding Agency		ADONIS, France
Country		AUSTRIA
References		Schrottner, J et al. Bioelectromagnetics., (2007) 28:208-213 Leitgeb, N et al. Bioelectromagnetics., (2003) 24:587-394
Comments		EHS participants were solicited from an EHS self-help group. Controls (n = 700) not performed at the same time as EHS individuals, data taken from earlier studies.