Study of self-reported hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields in California.

Abstract

Cases of alleged hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been reported for more than 20 years, and some authors have suggested some connection with the "multiple chemical sensitivity" illness. We report the results of a telephone survey among a sample of 2,072 Californians. Being "allergic or very sensitive" to being near electrical devices was reported by 68 subjects, resulting in an adjusted prevalence of 3.2% (95% confidence interval = 2.8, 3.7). Twenty-seven subjects (1.3%) reported sensitivity to electrical devices but no sensitivity to chemicals. Characteristics of the people reporting hypersensitivity to EMFs were generally different from those of people reporting being allergic to everyday chemicals. Alleging environmental illness or multiple chemical sensitivity diagnosed by a doctor was the strongest predictor of reporting being hypersensitive to EMFs in this population. Other predictive factors apart from self-reporting chemical sensitivity were race/ethnicity other than White, Black, or Hispanic; having low income; and being unable to work. The perception of risk of exposure to EMFs through the use of hair dryers (vs. exposure to power and distribution lines) was the factor the most associated with selfreporting about hypersensitivity to EMFs. However, risk perception was not sufficient to explain the characteristics of people reporting this disorder. Key words: electromagnetic fields, hypersensitivity.

Hypersensitivity of human subjects to environmental electric and magnetic field exposure: a review of the literature.

“…The details of this study are presented in this issue (23). Out of a sample of 2,037 Californians, about 3% reported HSEMF, and 0.5% had to change jobs because of it.…”

“…All used standardized questionnaires for symptom evaluation; two used dermatologists for clinical evaluation (26,28), and two used blood sampling for hormone evaluation (7,29). The quality of the methodology in these experimental studies is considered good, but sample sizes are limited (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35), and simple statistical analyses are provided by the authors. All the studies were negative except one, which gave an equivocal result (26) but were not reproduced in a more robust study in terms of number of subjects and duration of the experiment (27).…”

A short‐term extremely low frequency electromagnetic field exposure increases circulating leukocyte numbers and affects HPA‐axis signaling in mice

“…Within the western population, about 1.5–5% of individuals are self‐proclaimed electrohypersensitive (EHS) or, as defined by the World Health Organization, suffering from idiopathic environmental intolerance with attribution to EMF [Hillert et al, 2002; Levallois et al, 2002; Schreier et al, 2006]. They experience complaints that are attributed to the presence of various EMFs in their direct surroundings.…”

The prevalence of symptoms attributed to electromagnetic field exposure: a cross-sectional representative survey in Switzerland

“…1) between EMF exposure and impaired well-being (Seitz et al, 2005). In population-based surveys the prevalence of EHS has been reported to be 1.5 % in Sweden (Hillert et al 2002) and 3.2 % in California (Levallois et al 2002). In Germany, the prevalence of EHS was estimated at 6 % in 2001 (Schroeder, 2002) and 8 % in 2003 (Infas, 2003).…”