The aim of this study was to investigate whether a 15-minute placement of a 3G dialing mobile phone causes direct changes in EEG activity compared to the placement of a sham phone. Furthermore, it was investigated whether placement of the mobile phone on the ear or the heart would result in different outcomes. Thirty-one healthy females participated. All subjects were measured twice: on one of the two days the mobile phone was attached to the ear, the other day to the chest. In this single-blind, cross-over design, assessments in the sham phone condition were conducted directly preceding and following the mobile phone exposure. During each assessment, EEG activity and radiofrequency radiation were recorded jointly. Delta, theta, alpha, slowbeta, fastbeta, and gamma activity was computed. The association between radiation exposure and the EEG was tested using multilevel random regression analyses with radiation as predictor of main interest. Significant radiation effects were found for the alpha, slowbeta, fastbeta, and gamma bands. When analyzed separately, ear location of the phone was associated with significant results, while chest placement was not. The results support the notion that EEG alterations are associated with mobile phone usage and that the effect is dependent on site of placement. Further studies are required to demonstrate the physiological relevance of these findings.

This study aimed to investigate whether third generation mobile phone radiation peaks result in event related potentials. Thirty-one healthy females participated. In this single-blind, cross-over design, a 15 minute mobile phone exposure was compared to two 15 minute sham phone conditions, one preceding and one following the exposure condition. Each participant was measured on two separate days, where mobile phone placement was varied between the ear and heart. EEG activity and radiofrequency radiation were recorded jointly. Epochs of 1200ms, starting 200ms before and lasting until 1000ms after the onset of a radiation peak, were extracted from the exposure condition. Control epochs were randomly selected from the two sham phone conditions. The main a-priori hypothesis to be tested concerned an increase of the area in the 240-500ms post-stimulus interval, in the exposure session with ear-placement. Using multilevel regression analyses the placement*exposure interaction effect was significant for the frontal and central cortical regions, indicating that only in the mobile phone exposure with ear-placement an enlarged cortical reactivity was found. Post-hoc analyses based on visual inspection of the ERPs showed a second significantly increased area between 500-1000ms post-stimulus for almost every EEG location measured. It was concluded that, when a dialing mobile phone is placed on the ear, its radiation, although unconsciously, is electrically detected by the brain. The question of whether or not this cortical reactivity results in a negative health outcome has to be answered in future longitudinal experiments.

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per-millisecond electrocardiac activity (lead V4) and radiofrequency radiation was recorded 12 jointly. 13Primary outcome measures: Heart rate. The association with radiation was analysed at two 14 levels, (i) at macrolevel, based on averaged condition effects, and (ii) at microlevel, focusing on 15 radiation peak-related effects within the exposure condition. 16Results: The macrolevel analysis clearly indicated that heart rate was lowered during the 17 radiation exposure condition. The heart rate during the preceding and subsequent sham phone 18 condition was respectively 1.014 beats/minute (p < 0.001) and 1.009 beats/minute (p < 0.001) 19higher compared to the radiation exposure condition. In order to conduct radiation-detector 20 controlled microlevel analyses, 142 critical segments were identified, in which a radiation-free 21 period was followed by a radiation peak. The heart rate during the radiation-free period showed a 22 mean increase, whereas the radiation peak period was associated with a mean decrease in heart 23 rate (time*period interaction: p=0.001). Thus, the macrolevel finding was confirmed at 24 microlevel. 25Conclusions: Mobile phone radiation may impact heart rate, suggesting urgent further study to 26 assess physiological safety parameters. 28Corresponding author:

per-millisecond electrocardiac activity (lead V4) and radiofrequency radiation was recorded 12 jointly. 13Primary outcome measures: Heart rate. The association with radiation was analysed at two 14 levels, (i) at macrolevel, based on averaged condition effects, and (ii) at microlevel, focusing on 15 radiation peak-related effects within the exposure condition. 16Results: The macrolevel analysis clearly indicated that heart rate was lowered during the 17 radiation exposure condition. The heart rate during the preceding and subsequent sham phone 18 condition was respectively 1.014 beats/minute (p < 0.001) and 1.009 beats/minute (p < 0.001) 19higher compared to the radiation exposure condition. In order to conduct radiation-detector 20 controlled microlevel analyses, 142 critical segments were identified, in which a radiation-free 21 period was followed by a radiation peak. The heart rate during the radiation-free period showed a 22 mean increase, whereas the radiation peak period was associated with a mean decrease in heart 23 rate (time*period interaction: p=0.001). Thus, the macrolevel finding was confirmed at 24 microlevel. 25Conclusions: Mobile phone radiation may impact heart rate, suggesting urgent further study to 26 assess physiological safety parameters. 28Corresponding author: