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(Database last updated on Mar 27, 2024)
| ID Number | 1955 | |
| Study Type | Epidemiology | |
| Model | Studies of mobile phone use in Poland and correlation with subjective complaints, melatonin and tympanic temperature. | |
| Details | Volunteers (n = 117) randomly selected University students in Poland were questioned regarding mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. The authors report 62% of subjects felt their overall health was good (31% very good). Headaches occured in 70%, although only 6.8% attributed this to mobile phone use. The authors conclude that a significant percentage of students complained of headache and impaired concentration and this may be related to increasing wireless technology. In a related study of individuals living inproximity of mobile phone base stations, the authors report correlations between proximity and complaints including circulatory disorders, sleep disturbances, irritability, depression, blurred vision, concentration difficulties, nausea, lack of appetite, headache and vertigo. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Szyjkowska et al. 2014 (IEEE #5559): Objectives To assess the type and incidence of subjective symptoms related to the use of mobile phones in Polish users. Material and Methods The study was conducted in 2005 using a questionnaire survey. Although it has been quite a long time, up to now, no such data have been published for Poland. The questionnaire consisted of 53 questions concerning sex, age, education, general health, characteristics of a mobile phone (hand-held, loud-speaking unit) as well as the habits associated with its use (frequency and duration of calls, text messages, etc.) and complaints associated with using a mobile phone. Results As many as 1800 questionnaires were sent. The response was obtained from 587 subjects aged 32.6±11.3 (48.9% women, 51.1% men); the age did not differ significantly between men and women. The subjects owned a cell phone for an average of 3 years. Majority of the respondents used the phone intensively, i.e. daily (74%) or almost daily (20%). Headaches were reported significantly more often by the people who talked frequently and long in comparison with other users (63.2% of the subjects, p = 0.0029), just like the symptoms of fatigue (45%, p = 0.013). Also, the feeling of warmth around the ear and directly to the auricle was reported significantly more frequently by the intensive mobile phone users, compared with other mobile phone users (47.3%, p = 0.00004 vs. 44.6%, p = 0.00063, respectively). Most symptoms appeared during or immediately after a call and disappeared within 2 h after the call. Continuous headache, persisting for longer than 6 h since the end of a call, was reported by 26% of the subjects. Conclusions Our results show that the mobile phone users may experience subjective symptoms, the intensity of which depends on the intensity of use of mobile phones. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bortkiewicz et al. 2012 (IEEE #6587): OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to assess the health conditions and subjective symptoms of the inhabitants living in the base stations vicinity and to analyse the relationship between the complaints and level of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study was performed in housing estates located in five regions of Aódz. The electric field measurements were performed in the buildings located closest to the azimuth of the antennas. Respondents were selected by trained interviewers using an uniform procedure. The number of the households to be examined was set at a minimum of 420. The questionnaire contained: demographic data, occupational and environmental exposure to EMF, health condition, subjective complaints. Results were adjusted for confounders (age, gender, EMF at the workplace and EMF emitted by household equipment) using multiple regression model. RESULTS: 181 men and 319 women from 500 households were examined. Electric field above 0.8 V/m was recorded in 12% of flats. There was no significant correlation between electric field strength and the distance of examined flats from the base stations. To make possible comparison with relevant literature, we analysed also the frequency of the reported symptoms vs. the distance. Headache was declared by 57% people, most frequently (36.4%) living 100-150 m away from the base station compared to people living at longer distances (p = 0.013). 24.4% subjects, mostly living at a distance above 150 m, declared impaired memory. Difference was statistically significant in comparison with people living at other distances (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The explanation why we did not find any correlation between the electric field strength and frequency of subjective symptoms but found a correlation between subjective symptoms and distance from base station needs further studies. Maybe new metrics of exposure assessment should be adopted for this purpose. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bortkiewicz et al. 2012 (IEEE #6710): OBJECTIVE: Mobile phones generate microwave radiation which is absorbed by exposed tissue and converted into heat. It may cause detrimental health effects. The aim of the experiment was to check if exposure to EMF emitted by mobile phone influenced the tympanic temperature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Human volunteer study was performed on ten healthy young men, aged 22.1±4.7 years, examined three times: 1. on a day with 2×60 min of no exposure (sham day), 2. on a day with continuous, 60 min exposure and 60 min of no exposure, 3. on a day with intermittent exposure (4×15 min "on" and 4×15 min "off"). Exposure was generated by mobile phone (frequency 900 MHz, SAR 1.23 W/kg). The study was double-blind, performed under controlled conditions (at 24°C and 70% humidity). The tympanic temperature (T(ty)) was monitored every 10 sec by a thermistor probe placed close to the aural canal membrane in the ear opposite the one in contact with mobile phone (contralateral position). Multivariate repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to calculate the results. RESULTS: The mean T(ty) in the whole group during continuous exposure was significantly higher than during sham exposure (p = 0.0001). During intermittent exposure the temperature was lower than during sham day (difference was up to 0.11°C). Within an hour after continuous exposure, T(ty) was higher by 0.03°C and after intermittent exposure T(ty) was lower by 0.18°C in comparison with sham day. Two hours after exposure T(ty) was significantly lower (p = 0.0001) than after sham exposure (0.06°C and 0.26°C respectively). The trends in T(ty) during experiment differed significantly in relation to exposure conditions (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this analysis indicate that the physiological response to EMF exposure from mobile phone was mostly related to type of exposure (continuous or intermittent). AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Bortkiewicz et al. 2002 (IEEE #6711): OBJECTIVES: It is quite likely that non-visible electromagnetic fields (EMF) may affect melatonin production. Some studies confirmed this hypothesis and showed that extremely low EMF altered pineal function in animals and humans. Thus, it is reasonable to suppose that EMF emitted by cellular phones may also influence secretion of melatonin. The present study sought to evaluate possible effect of the exposure to EMF emitted by cellular phone on 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate (6-OHMS) excretion, which reflects melatonin levels in blood. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The examined group consisted of 9 healthy males aged 19-29 years. The experiment was performed under controlled conditions (the light intensity-50 lx till midnight and 0 lx during night). Each person was examined twice: on a day without exposure (control day, C-day) and on a day with continuous exposure (60 min. exposure from cellular phone, frequency 900 MHz, pulsed with 217 Hz, pulse with 576 micros, SAR 1.23 W/kg, E-day). From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. they used a cellular phone. The subjects did not know which day was E-day, and which was C-day. From 8 p.m. till midnight the subjects listened to music and than they slept till 7 a.m. next day. Urine samples were collected at 7 p.m., at midnight, and at 7 a.m. in the same way in C-day as in E-day. Sample were frozen for later ELISA analysis of 6-OHMS. The 6-OHMS ELISA kit from Immuno-Biological Laboratories (Hamburg) was used for measurement of 6-OHMS. The data were analysed using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test for each subject and for the whole group. We compared 6-OHMS level on the E-day and on the C-day separately for 3 time-points - 7 p.m., midnight, 7 a.m. RESULTS: Mean 6-OHMS level in both experiments did not differ significantly for any of the respective time points. Circadian variations of 6-OHMS level were detected in all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our investigation has demonstrated that EMF emitted by cellular phones has no distinct influence on the melatonin level. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Szyjkowska et al. 2017 (IEEE #6825): Background: There are no available data on the health consequences that may result from the synergistic effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and stress. Understanding the mechanisms of the simultaneous exposure will make it possible to develop procedures to minimize adverse health effects in professionals using mobile phones. Material and Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 600 randomly selected people to obtain data on their health status and the prevalence of subjective symptoms related to the mobile phones using. Among them, there were 208 GSM Network employees, to whom the Perceived Stress Scale and Assessment of Stress at Work Questionnaire were sent. Eighty-nine completed questionnaires were returned (response rate 42.8%). Results: The mean age of respondents was 30.3 years (standard deviation (SD) = 7.7), time of occupational use of mobile phone 4.1 years (SD = 1.7), the level of occupational stress 95.3 (SD = 19.1). A significant percentage of people (62.8%) complained of the frequent difficulties in coping with problems of everyday life, and 57.4% had a fairly frequent problems with managing their own affairs. Significant differences in the life stress were detected between groups with different time of phone use (p = 0.03), and in occupational stress level, significant differences were noted between the 2 groups differing in the length of the conversation (p = 0.05). The risk of headache, associated (odds ratio (OR) = 4.2, p = 0.008) or not associated (OR = 2.97, p = 0.04) with calls on mobile phone, adjusted for stress, was significantly higher in people speaking via mobile more than 60 min/day than in those talking less. Conclusions: The study indicates that both stressors acting at the same time (EMF from cell phone and stress) adversely affect the well-being of workers and increase the risk of subjective symptoms. |
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| Findings | Effects | |
| Status | Completed With Publication | |
| Principal Investigator | Inst Medicine Work, Lodzi, Poland | |
| Funding Agency | Private/Instit. | |
| Country | POLAND | |
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