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(Database last updated on Mar 27, 2024)
| ID Number | 1646 | |
| Study Type | Epidemiology | |
| Model | 900, 1800, 2000 MHz (GSM, UMTS) mobile phone use and base station exposure and correlation with subjective symptoms. | |
| Details | Self-claimed hypersensitive individuals (n = 429) were surveyed regarding subjective complaints.The authors report complaints were correlated with individuals that were older, had a higher educational level, and were married. In a related study, self-claimed hypersensitive individuals (n = 63) were queried regarding what they felt the source of their affliction was, and 25 (~40%) suspected EMF as the cause. The most common symptoms were headaches, dizziness, and pain, followed by sleep disorders, fatigue, and nervousness. The RF field levels (0.1 - 3 GHz, and 5Hz - 50 kHz) at several locations in the homes in the subset of individuals that believed EMF fields was the cause were then measured. The authors report all EMF field levels below the Swiss thresholds, and only 8% of the cases might have been plausibly linked to an elevated EMF levels in certain locations within the home. In a related study, General Practitioners in Switzerland were interviewed (n = 342) regarding EHS consultations. The authors report 69% of doctors reported at least one EHS patient within the prior year, and 19% reported at least 10 such patients, the median number of EHS patients was 3. 50% of doctors reported an increase in the number of EHS patients over time. Symptoms most often reported were sleep disorders (43%), headaches (39%), and fatiegue (14%). Sources were most frequently attributed to mobile phone base stations (33%), power lines (14%), and mobile phone handsets (9%). The link between EMF and the symptoms was most often identified by the patient (88%). 54% of doctors felt a direct causal relationship between symptoms and EMF was plausible, 29% thought it implausible, and 17% were uncertain. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Frei et al. 2012 (IEEE #5660): BACKGROUND: There is public concern regarding potential health effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) exposure, as produced by mobile phones or broadcast transmitters. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between RF-EMF exposure and non-specific symptoms and tinnitus in a prospective cohort study. METHODS: In 2008, 1375 randomly selected participants from Basel, Switzerland, were enrolled in a questionnaire survey with follow-up after one year (participation rate 82%). A score for somatic complaints (von Zerssen list) and headache (HIT-6) was assessed. Far-field environmental RF-EMF exposure was predicted using a validated prediction model. Regarding near-field exposure, self-reported mobile and cordless phone use as well as mobile phone operator data were collected. In multivariate regression models, we investigated whether exposure at baseline (cohort analysis) or changes in exposure between baseline and follow-up (change analysis) were related to changes in health scores. RESULTS: For participants in the top decile of environmental far-field RF-EMF exposure at baseline, in comparison to participants exposed below the median value, the change in the von Zerssen- and HIT-6-scores between baseline and follow-up was -0.12 (95%-CI: -1.79 to 1.56) and -0.37 (95%-CI: -1.80 to 1.07) units, respectively. Exposure to near-field sources and a change in exposure between baseline and follow-up were not related to non-specific symptoms. Similarly, no association between RF-EMF exposure and tinnitus was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this first cohort study using objective and well-validated RF-EMF exposure measures, we did not observe an association between RF-EMF exposure and non-specific symptoms or tinnitus. |
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| Findings | Effects | |
| Status | Completed With Publication | |
| Principal Investigator | University of Berne, Switzerland - egger@ispm.unibe.ch | |
| Funding Agency | Nat'l Res Prog, Switzerland (SNSF, NRP57) | |
| Country | SWITZERLAND | |
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