ID Number		1523
Study Type		Human / Provocation
Model		900 MHz (GSM) exposure from mobile phones in both self-reported hypersensitive vs. normal individuals and correlation with subjective complaints.
Details		Self reported hypersensitive (n = 20) and non-hypersensitive volunteers were exposed or sham exposed for 30 minutes on separate days to 900 MHz (GSM) RF at a peak head SAR of 1 W/kg over 1 gram (0l8 W/kg over 10 grams). The exposure system consisted of 2 antennas, each 8.5 cm from either side of the head. Self reported hypersensitive individuals were categorized as those that reported symptoms only from mobile phones (and not other EMF sources) or those that had general EHS to many sources of environmental exposure. Subjects were given cognitive tests for reaction time and monitored for heart rate, respiration, local blood flow, and electrodermal activity during exposure. They were also questioned about their perceived symptoms following exposure. They were assessed via questionnaire regarding their mobile phone use, medical, and occupational history, and to determine personality types, stress levels, anxiety, burnout symptoms, depression and other parameters as compared with control subjects. The authors report no significant effect of exposure on any of the examined endpoints. Of note, brain recordings from EHS subjects suggested the test was more stressful on them than on controls. EHS cases reported more symptoms than controls, but there was no obvious correlation with RF exposure. EHS cases also reported greater mobile phone use and poorer state of health than controls. In an extension of these studies, the authors reported EHS volunteers that were specifically sensitive to mobile phones (n = 45) had more general sensitivity to environmental agents than other other EHS volunteers. Both EHS groups reported more health complaints than controls, although they differed in that the mobile phone EHS group reported more perceived stress and more somatosensory symptoms (touch, temperature, issues with body position, pain) where as the general EHS group reported more neurasthenic symptoms (fatigue, anxiety, headache, impotence, neuralgia, depressed mood) and more total symptoms overall. The authors suggest that the two EHS groups are distinct health ailments. In other studies, volunteers (n = 15) with diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD) were exposed (or sham exposed) to 900 MHz (GSM) RF with an estimated SAR of 1.0 W/kg to the right side of the head. No effects of RF exposure were reported on heart rate, local blood flow, electrodermal activity, or TNF R1 and BDNF levels (involved in the inflamation process with AD) in the blood. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Nordin et al. 2013 (IEEE #5288): AIMS: Lack of brief questionnaire instruments for quantifying affective reactions to and behavioral disruptions attributed to sounds and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) motivated the present development and metric evaluation of such instruments, called the 11-item Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS-11) and the 11-item Electromagnetic Field Sensitivity Scale (EMFSS-11). Another objective was to establish normative data for these instruments. METHOD: Data from 3406 individuals who took part in the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study was used. The participants constitute a random sample of inhabitants in the county of Västerbotten in Sweden, aged 18 to 79 years, stratified for age and gender. The participants responded to the NSS-11 and EMFSS-11 and to additional questions for evaluation of concurrent validity. RESULTS: The results show satisfying reliability (Cronbach ± = 0.71-0.85, varying with age group and gender), concurrent validity, and unidimensionality of the NSS-11 and EMFSS-11, and that the scales generate scores with approximately normal distributions, irrespective of age group and gender. Mean scores, standard deviations, and confidence intervals constitute normative data. CONCLUSIONS: The favorable metric properties of the NSS-11 and EMFSS-11 in combination with their fast usage suggest that they are particularly useful for assessment in epidemiological studies, and have the advantage of available normative data. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Nordin et al. 2013 (IEEE #5289): BACKGROUND: High concomitant intolerance attributed to odorous/pungent chemicals, certain buildings, electromagnetic fields (EMF), and everyday sounds calls for a questionnaire instrument that can assess symptom prevalence in various environmental intolerances. The Environmental Hypersensitivity Symptom Inventory (EHSI) was therefore developed and metrically evaluated, and normative data were established. The EHSI consists of 34 symptom items, requires limited time to respond to, and provides a detailed and broad description of the individual's symptomology. METHODS: Data from 3406 individuals who took part in the Vasterbotten Environmental Health Study were used. The participants constitute a random sample of inhabitants in the county of Vasterbotten in Sweden, aged 18 to 79 years, stratified for age and gender. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis identified five significant factors: airway symptoms (9 items; Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 coefficient, KR-20, of internal consistency = 0.74), skin and eye symptoms (6 items; KR-20 = 0.60), cardiac, dizziness and nausea symptoms (4 items; KR-20 = 0.55), head-related and gastrointestinal symptoms (5 items; KR-20 = 0.55), and cognitive and affective symptoms (10 items; KR-20 = 0.80). The KR-20 was 0.85 for the entire 34-item EHSI. Symptom prevalence rates in percentage for having the specific symptoms every week over the preceding three months constitute normative data. CONCLUSIONS: The EHSI can be recommended for assessment of symptom prevalence in various types of environmental hypersensitivity, and with the advantage of comparing prevalence rates with normality. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Palmquist et al. 2013 (IEEE #5318): Environmental intolerance (EI) is characterized by attribution of several, multisystem symptoms to specific environmental exposures, such as exposure to odorous/pungent chemicals, certain buildings, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and everyday sounds. The symptoms are medically unexplained, non-specific and the symptoms overlap between different types of EI. To approach the issue of underlying mechanisms the matter of overlap in prevalence between intolerances can provide valuable information. The aim of the study was to examine if the overlap between intolerance to odorous/pungent chemicals, certain buildings, EMFs and sounds is larger than the expected overlap if no association would exist between them. The study was using cross-sectional data from the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden; a large questionnaire-based survey. 8520 adults (18-79 years) were randomly selected after stratification for age and sex, of whom 3406 (40%) participated. Individuals with the four types of intolerance were identified either through self-report, or by having been physician-diagnosed with a specific EI. The overlaps between the four EIs were greater than predictions based on coincidence for both self-reported and diagnosed cases (except for the overlap between diagnosed intolerance to sounds and EMFs). The results raise the question whether different types of EI share similar underlying mechanisms, or at least that the sufferers of EI share some predisposition to acquire the conditions. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Nordin et al. 2014 (IEEE #5881): Lack of confirmation of symptoms attributed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and triggered by EMF exposure has highlighted the role of individual factors. Prior observations indicate intolerance to other types of environmental exposures among persons with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). This study assessed differences in odor and noise intolerance between persons with EHS and healthy controls by use of subscales and global measures of the Chemical Sensitivity Scale (CSS) and the Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS). The EHS group scored significantly higher than the controls on all CSS and NSS scales. Correlation coefficients between CSS and NSS scores ranged from 0.60 to 0.65 across measures. The findings suggest an association between EHS and odor and noise intolerance, encouraging further investigation of individual factors for understanding EMF-related symptoms. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Kjellqvist et al. 2016 (IEEE #6388): OBJECTIVE: Need for better understanding of the etiology of idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) motivated the present study of psychological symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in person who attribute health problems to electromagnetic fields. METHODS: Participants with IEI-EMF (n=114) and a population-based sample of referents (n=104) were investigated with six subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) to assess psychological symptoms, and with eight subscales of the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) to assess HRQoL. RESULTS: Significantly higher scores were found on obsessive/compulsive behavior, interpersonal hypersensitivity, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid thoughts in the IEI-EMF group compared to referents, whereas only a tendency of such a difference was found for psychotism. Furthermore, poorer HRQoL in the IEI-EMF group, compared to referents, were found regarding physical and social functioning, physical and emotional role limitations, general health, vitality, bodily pain, and mental health. Significant correlation with moderate to strong effect sizes were found between several of the SCL-90 and SF-36 subscales. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that IEI-EMF is associated with various types of psychological symptoms and with poor HRQoL. Clinical implications include theoretical support for cognitive behavioral therapy, and, although further research is needed, that attention should be directed towards feelings of inferiority and uneasiness in relationships as well as anger, hostility and resentment towards other people. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Karvala et al. 2017 (IEEE #6886): OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of various environmental intolerances (EIs), using several criteria in a Swedish and a Finnish general population. Ill-health attributed to low-level environmental exposures is a commonly encountered challenge in occupational and environmental medicine. METHODS: In population-based questionnaire surveys, the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study (Sweden) and the Österbotten Environmental Health Study (Finland), EI was inquired by one-item questions on symptom attribution to chemicals, certain buildings, or electromagnetic fields (EMFs), and difficulties tolerating sounds. The respondents were asked whether they react with central nervous system (CNS) symptoms or have a physician-diagnosed EI attributed to the corresponding exposures. Prevalence rates were determined for different age and sex groups and the Swedish and Finnish samples in general. RESULTS: In the Swedish sample (n = 3406), 12.2% had self-reported intolerance to chemicals, 4.8% to certain buildings, 2.7% to EMFs, and 9.2% to sounds. The prevalence rates for the Finnish sample (n = 1535) were 15.2%, 7.2%, 1.6%, and 5.4%, respectively, differing statistically significantly from the Swedish. EI to chemicals and certain buildings was more prevalent in Finland, while EI to EMFs and sounds more prevalent in Sweden. The prevalence rates for EI with CNS-symptoms were lower and physician-diagnosed EIs considerably lower than self-reported EIs. Women reported EI more often than men and the young (18-39 years) to a lesser degree than middle-aged and elderly. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reflect the heterogeneous nature of EI. The differences in EI prevalence between the countries might reflect disparities concerning which exposures people perceive harmful and focus their attention to. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Claeson, Palmquist, Nordin 2018 (IEEE #7000): Background: Individuals with environmental intolerance (EI) react to exposure from different environmental sources at levels tolerated by most people and that are below established toxicological and hazardous thresholds. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of attributing symptoms to chemical and physical sources in the environment among individuals with different forms of self-reported EI and in referents. Methods: Cross-sectional data from a population-based study, the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study (n/=/3406), were used and individuals with self-reported EI to chemicals, buildings, electromagnetic fields and sounds as well as a group with multiple EIs were identified. The Environmental-Symptom Attribution Scale was used to quantify degree to which health symptoms are attributed to 40 specific environmental exposures and sources, with subscales referring to the four types of EI. Results: All EI groups, except the group with building related intolerance (BRI), reported more symptoms from the expected sources compared to the referents. In addition, individuals with chemical and sound intolerance reported symptoms from building related trigger factors, and individuals with electromagnetic hypersensitivity reported symptoms from chemical trigger factors. Conclusions: The study suggests that individuals with BRI react to fewer and more specific trigger factors than do individuals with other EIs, and that it is important to ask about different sources since three of the EI groups attribute their symptoms to a wide variety of sources in addition to the sources to which their EI implicates. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Gruber, Palmquist, Nordin 2018 (IEEE #7020): Health problems evoked in the presence of electrical equipment is a concern, calling for better understanding for characteristics of electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) in the general population. The present study investigated demographics, lifestyle factors, frequency and duration, coping strategies, proportion meeting clinical criteria for intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and comorbidity. Using data from a large-scale population-based questionnaire study, we investigated persons with self-reported (n = 91) EHS in comparison to referents (n = 3,250). Middle age, female sex and poor perceived health was found to be associated with EHS. More than 50% in the EHS group reported having EMF-related symptoms more often than once a week, and the mean number of years experiencing EHS was 10.5. More than half of the EHS group reported that their symptoms started after a high-dose or long-term EMF exposure, that they actively tried to avoid EMF sources and that they mostly could affect the EMF environment. A minority of the EHS group had sought medical attention, been diagnosed by a physician or received treatment. Exhaustion syndrome, anxiety disorder, back/joint/muscle disorder, depression, functional somatic syndrome and migraine were comorbid with EHS. The results provide ground for future study of these characteristic features being risk factors for development of EHS and or consequences of EHS.
Findings		No Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		National Institute of Working Life & Umea U, Swede
Funding Agency		NIWL, Sweden
Country		SWEDEN
References		Johansson, A et al. J Psychosomatic Res., (2010) 68:37-45 Johansson, A et al. Bioelectromagnetics, (2008) 29:353-362 Wilen, J et al. Bioelectromagnetics, (2006) 27:204-214 Nordin , S et al. Scand J Public Health. , (2013) 41:293-301 Nordin , S et al. Arch Public Health., (2013) 71 :18-(10 pages) Palmquist, E et al. Int J Hyg Environ Health. , (2014) 217:427-434 Nordin, S et al. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health., (2014) 11:8794-8805 Kjellqvist, A et al. J Psychosom Res., (2016) 84:8-12 Karvala, K et al. Environ Res., (2018) 161:220-228 Claeson, AS et al. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health., (2018) :- Gruber, M et al. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology., (2018) 59:422-427 Lyskov, E et al. International journal of psychophysiology., (2001) 42:233-241 Haanes, JV et al. Psychosom Res., (2020) 131:109955-
Comments		In first study, the experimenter was not blind to the exposure conditions, since physiological recordings were distorted by the RF signal.