Cohort study on the effects of everyday life radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure on non-specific symptoms and tinnitus

Frei, Patrizia; Mohler, Evelyn; Braun‐Fahrländer, Charlotte; Fröhlich, Jürg; Neubauer, Georg; Röösli, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2011.08.002

Cited by 48 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…However, they were based on self-reported mobile phone call duration only. No study with operator recorded mobile phone use and symptoms has been conducted in adolescents so far and only one study was identified in adults (Frei et al 2012). In this study of 1124 adults aged between 30 and 60 years, results of crosssectional and cohort analyses were similar with a tendency of a negative correlation between symptoms and self-reported mobile phone use and no indication of an association for operator recorded mobile phone use, which was available for 451 study participants.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Symptoms and the use of wireless communication devices: A prospective cohort study in Swiss adolescents

Schoeni

Roser

Röösli

2017

Environmental Research

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BackgroundWe investigated whether radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phones and other wireless devices or by the wireless device use itself due to non-radiation related factors in that context are associated with an increase in health symptom reports of adolescents in Central Switzerland. Methods In a prospective cohort study, 439 study participants (participation rate: 36.8%) aged 12-17 years, completed questionnaires about their mobile and cordless phone use, their selfreported symptoms and possible confounding factors at baseline (2012/2013) and one year later (2013/2014). Operator recorded mobile phone data was obtained for a subgroup of 234 adolescents. RF-EMF dose measures considering various factors affecting RF-EMF exposure were computed for the brain and the whole body. Data were analysed using a mixed-logistic cross-sectional model and a cohort approach, where we investigated whether cumulative dose over one year was related to a new onset of a symptom between baseline and follow-up. All analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders. Results Participation rate in the follow-up was 97% (425 participants). In both analyses, crosssectional and cohort, various symptoms tended to be mostly associated with usage measures that are only marginally related to RF-EMF exposure such as the duration of data traffic on the mobile phone (e.g. OR for tiredness: 2.33; 95%CI: 1.54 to 3.52 for crosssectional analyses and OR: 2.70; 95%CI:1.52 to 4.80 for cohort analyses) and number of text messages sent per day (tiredness: OR:1.81; 95%CI:1.20 to 2.74 and OR:1.87; 95%CI:1.04 to 3.38). Outcomes were less strongly or not associated with mobile phone call duration and RF-EMF dose measures. ConclusionsStronger associations between symptoms of ill health and wireless communication device use than for RF-EMF dose measures were observed. Such a result pattern does not support a causal association between RF-EMF exposure and health symptoms of adolescents but rather suggests that other aspects of extensive media use are related to symptoms.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Symptoms and the use of wireless communication devices: A prospective cohort study in Swiss adolescents

Schoeni

Roser

Röösli

2017

Environmental Research

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“…It occurred more frequently when using analog than digital phones [9]. In large, follow-up cohort studies performed in Basel (Switzerland) among mobile and cordless phone users no symptoms (headaches and somatic complaints) or tinnitus were observed [15]. In Poland, such studies have not been performed to date.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The risk of subjective symptoms in mobile phone users in Poland – An epidemiological study

Szyjkowska

Gadzicka

Szymczak

et al. 2014

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

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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.

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“…Models. Many medical studies avail exposure models to assess radiation levels [10]. Simple proxies, such as distance to closest cell tower [8] or high-voltage power line [7], are inaccurate in urban environments with differing propagation conditions.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, many effects of RF-EMF radiation on the human body are not well understood because there is a lack of long-term and large-scale epidemiological studies quantifying these effects [10]. Challenges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatially Resolved Monitoring of Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Hasenfratz

Sturzenegger

Saukh

et al. 2013

Proceedings of First International Workshop on Sensing and Big Data Mining

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Radio-frequency electromagnetic fields are emitted by many applications, such as radio broadcasting and mobile communication. A part of the general public is increasingly concerned about the long-term effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health. However, the accurate exposure assessment in people's everyday life remains a formidable challenge. State-of-the-art personal exposure meters are expensive and tedious to use. Epidemiological large-scale studies are rare and governmental compliance measurements can only cover a small number of locations of high interest (e.g., schools). In this paper, we demonstrate that accurate, spatially resolved electromagnetic field measurements are feasible with commodity sensor nodes. We show the design, implementation, and evaluation on mobile air quality sensor nodes, which traverse a large urban area on top of public transport vehicles in Zurich, Switzerland. We collect a data set with over 4 million measurements and use it to develop the first exposure map of Zurich with a spatial resolution of 100 m. Further, we compare the found exposure levels to measurements from different urban cities across Europe.

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Cohort study on the effects of everyday life radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure on non-specific symptoms and tinnitus

Cited by 48 publications

References 34 publications

Symptoms and the use of wireless communication devices: A prospective cohort study in Swiss adolescents

Symptoms and the use of wireless communication devices: A prospective cohort study in Swiss adolescents

The risk of subjective symptoms in mobile phone users in Poland – An epidemiological study

Spatially Resolved Monitoring of Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

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