ID Number		1249
Study Type		Human / Provocation
Model		900 MHz (GSM) mobile phone use and correlation with headaches, occular effects, and other subjective symptoms
Details		Volunteers (n=392 mobile phone users / 110 controls in Elazig, Turkey) were surveyed for subjective disorders and neurological symptoms associated with mobile phone use. Mobile phone use was categorized into groups that used mobile phones for 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, or 4 or more years. There was no observed increase in dizziness, hand shaking, faltering speech, or "neuro-psychological discomfort" with mobile phone use, although positive correlations were observed for headache, extreme irritation, increased carelessness, forgetfulness, decreased reflex, and clicking sounds in the ears (although the authors admit not all their reported correlations were statistically significant). Specifically, headaches increased from 63.0% before mobile phone use to 78.9% after, except among the group using a mobile phone for only 1 year, who reported a 1% decrease. While "forgetfulness" increased in short term users, there was no effect associated with longer term mobile phone use. In a subsequent paper using the group above plus additional women volunteers (392 men, 157 women) they report mobile phone correlated with blurred vision, ocular secretions, eye inflammation, and tear production, with increased symptoms in longer term users. In both papers, the authors suggest additional work to clarify the findings.
Findings		Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		University of Firat, Elazig, Turkey
Funding Agency		Private/Instit.
Country		TURKEY
References		Balik, HH et al. Pathologie Biologie, (2005) 53:88-91 Balikci , K et al. Pathologie Biologie, (2005) 53:30-34
Comments		No adequate exposure assessment (just asked via questionnaire whether they used a mobile phone or not). No standard description of symptoms and by what criteria they were identified and/or quantified. Likely recall bias as it was not clear whether the questionnaire was correctly blinded. No control for known risk factors for any of the symptoms surveyed.