January 2010

Study of exposure to mobile telecommunication networks and mental health behavior using personal dosimetry in children and adolescents

The objective of the study was to investigate the association between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. A total of 1498 children and 1524 adolescents were randomly selected from population registries in Germany. An interview was conducted with the participants using a questionnaire to collect data on mental health and socio-demographic characteristics. A personal dosimeter was used for a period of 24 hours to measure actual RF EMF exposure. The results of this study indicate that overall RF EMF exposure was well below the established guidelines. The authors found that only 7% of children and 5% of adolescents had an abnormal mental behavior. Measured exposure to RF in the highest quartile was associated to overall behavioral problems for adolescents (Odds Ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-4.5) but not for children (OR 1.3 CI 0.7-2.6). The authors say that their results are mainly driven by one subscale of mental health (conduct problems). They warrant additional research measuring real RF exposure to confirm the results of their study.

Thomas S, Heinrich S, von Kries R, Radon K. Exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields and behavioural problems in Bavarian children and adolescents. Eur J Epidemiol. Dec 4, 2009 Ahead of print.

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Prospective cohort study on environmental exposures during pregnancy and childhood

The Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study is a prospective hospital and community based cohort study designed to collect information related to environmental exposures (chemical, biological, nutritional, physical, and psychosocial) during pregnancy and childhood. It will examine how exposure to some environmental pollutants affects growth, development, and disease in infants and children. Cell phones and electromagnetic fields will be assessed in this study. The authors expect to enroll about 1500 pregnant women between 2006 and 2010 and then conduct more studies with their children up to 5 years of age.

Kim BM, Ha M, Park HS, Lee BE, Kim YJ, Hong YC, Kim Y, Chang N, Roh YM, Kim BN, Oh SY, Ha EH, MOCEH Study Group. (2009). The Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study. Eur J Epidemiol. 24(9):573-83.

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Results suggest that GSM mobile phones affect dominant (alpha) EEG rhythms due to aging.

The authors tested the hypothesis that interhemispheric synchronization of temporal and frontal resting EEG rhythms can vary because of aging. Resting EEG data were recorded in 16 healthy elderly subjects and 5 young subjects, while the GSM phone was on (45min) and off (45min). Spectral coherence evaluated the inter-hemispheric synchronization of EEG rhythms at the delta theta, and alpha bands. The effect of aging on EEG rhythms was investigated by comparing the inter-hemispheric EEG coherence in the elderly against young subjects. Results indicate that the elderly subjects showed a statistically significant (p<0.001) elevation of the interhemispheric coherence of frontal and temporal alpha rhythms. The authors concluded that the results suggest that GSM exposure changes interhemispheric synchronization of alpha EEG rhythms due to physiological aging.

Vecchio F, Babiloni C, Ferreri F, Buffo P, Cibelli G, Curcio G, Dijkman SV, Melgari JM, Giambattistelli F, Rossini PM. Mobile phone emission modulates inter-hemispheric functional coupling of EEG alpha rhythms in elderly compared to young subjects. Clin Neurophysiol. Dec 11, 2009 Ahead of print.

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GSM mobile phone exposure modulates interhemispheric synchronization of temporal and frontal resting EEG rhythms in normal young subjects

The authors tested the hypothesis that GSM mobile phones changes interhemispheric synchronization of EEG rhythms. A total of 10 subjects had 2 electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings in a crossover double-blind design. The exposure was real in one session (45 minutes) and sham in the other. Individual EEG rhythms of interest were delta, theta, alpha 1, alpha 2, and alpha 3. Results indicate that GSM exposure affected interhemispheric frontal and temporal coherence for alpha 2 and alpha 3 bands. The authors concluded that the results may suggest that prolonged mobile phone exposure could affect cortical activity as well as neural synchronization.

Vecchio F, Babiloni C, Ferreri F, Curcio G, Fini R, Del Percio C, Rossini PM. (2007). Mobile phone emission modulates interhemispheric functional coupling of EEG alpha rhythms. Eur J Neurosci. 25(6):1908-13.

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Results indicate that mobile phone at the rate of 217Hz trigger evoked potentials measured by EEG.

The objective of the study was to investigate low frequency pulse at 217 Hz emitted by mobile phones and their potential to trigger evoked potentials, an electrical potential recorded from the nervous system following presentation of a stimulus. The methodology included the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs) to record evoked potentials in 20 volunteers. Evoked potentials with an expected latency were measured in 90% of volunteers when using nonlinear EEG analysis. But, no evoked potentials were found when the authors used time averaging type analysis. The authors conclude that the results indicate that mobile phone trigger evoked potentials at 217Hz and chronic production in brain activity might be relevant to the presence of health events in mobile phone users.

Carrubba S, Frilot C 2nd, Chesson AL Jr, Marino AA. Mobile-phone pulse triggers evoked potentials. Neurosci Lett. Dec 3, 2009. Ahead of print.

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Short term UMTS signals do not cause health effects on the human auditory system.

The objective of the study was to assess the potential health effects of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) exposure emitted from mobile phones at a high specific absorption rate (SAR) on the human auditory system. A total of 73 healthy young adults with no hearing or ear problems participated in the study. Auditory function was measured before and after exposure to radiofrequency (RF) of the exposed ear. The measured exposure was speech for a usual conversational level in addition to true or sham RF exposure. Results did not indicate any health effects on the auditory system after a 20 minute UMTS exposure. The authors concluded that short term UMTS exposure at high SAR did not cause any noticeable and immediate health effects on the auditory system.

Parazzini M, Lutman ME, Moulin A, Barnel C, Sliwinska-Kowalska M, Zmyslony M, Hernadi I, Stefanics G, Thuroczy G, Ravazzani P. Absence of Short-Term Effects of UMTS Exposure on the Human Auditory System. Rad Research. Nov 18 2009 Ahead of print.

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Study suggests that adolescent self-reported laterality of mobile phone use of limited validity

The objective of the study was mainly to validate the accuracy of self-reported laterality of mobile phone use in adolescents, but also to investigate the validity of recall of number and duration of phone calls. The study included 30 students who made a total of 455 calls with a Hardware Modified Phone (HMP) which recorded laterality (side of head), date, number and duration of calls. The recordings obtained from the modified phones were compared with answers of self-reported laterality and estimated average weekly mobile phone use provided in a questionnaire. The results indicate that agreement between measured and self-reported laterality was modest and concordance between measured and self-reported number of calls was fair but poor for duration of calls. The authors concluded that their results suggest that adolescent self-reported laterality had low validity and number and duration of calls were generally inaccurate.

Inyang I, Benke GP, McKenzie R, Wolfe R, Abramson MJ. A new method to determine laterality of mobile telephone use in adolescents. Occup Environ Med. Dec 2, 2009. Ahead of print.

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Description of SAR variability of whole-body exposure to radiofrequency fields in the VHF band in children

The objective of the study was to estimate the individual variability in specific absorption rate (SAR) of individuals by using three dimensional body shape data from three year old children and then develop a number of homogeneous models for these children. The study described the variability in SAR of the homogeneous models of 3 year old children for whole-body exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) in the very high frequency (VHF) band determined by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method.

Nagaoka T, Watanabe S. (2009). Estimation of variability of specific absorption rate with physical description of children exposed to electromagnetic field in the VHF band. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 1:942-945.

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Correlation of local temperature elevation in head model to mass-averaged SAR largely affected by blood perfusion rate

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between the mass-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature elevation due to the dipole antenna for frequencies from 1 to 6 GHz in anatomically based Japanese head models. The results indicate that the major factor having an impact on the correlation between mass-averaged SAR and temperature elevation was the thermal diffusion length in biological tissue and the penetration depth of radiofrequency waves. The authors concluded that the correlation of local temperature elevation to mass-averaged SAR was mostly affected by the blood perfusion rate. They conquer that less than 10% was due to the pinna (outer part of ear), model inhomogeneity, and the antenna position relative to the head model.

Hirata A, Fujiwara O. The correlation between mass-averaged SAR and temperature elevation in the human head model exposed to RF near-fields from 1 to 6 GHz. Phys Med Biol. 54(23):7227-7238. Nov 17, 2009 Ahead of print.

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No significant differences between the SAR values for the children of 3 and 7 years old or for adults exposed to RF emitted by walkie-talkies.

The objective of the experiment was to measure the in-vitro dielectric properties and uncertainties of measurements of ageing porcine tissues for frequencies between 50 MHz and 20 GHz. The results indicate that there was a statistically significant reduction with age in both permittivity and conductivity of 10 out of 15 tissues. The variations are mostly due to the reduction in the water content of tissues, when an animal ages in the frequency for microwaves. The authors used the results to determine the specific absorption rate(SAR) values in children (3 and 7 years) who are exposed to radiofrequency fields (RF) emitted by walkie-talkies. They concluded that no significant differences between the SAR values for the children or for adults were found in this experiment.

Peyman A, Gabriel C, Grant EH, Vermeeren G, Martens L. (2009). Variation of the dielectric properties of tissues with age: the effect on the values of SAR in children when exposed to walkie-talkie devices. Phys Med Biol. 54(2):227-41.

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Electric field values required for public basic restriction guidelines (ICNIRP and IEEE) under worst-case scenario show guidelines may not be conservative

The objective of the study was to calculate specific absorption rate (SAR) for the NORMAN and ETRI 7 year old voxel models in three different postures: arms down, arms up, and sitting. The measurements were performed for plane-wave exposure of frequencies between 10 MHz and 3GHz. The results indicate that there was very little difference for each frequency studied between the two models in each posture. It was found that raising the arms increased SAR by approximately 25% compared to arms down posture. The authors concluded that, under worst-case exposure scenario, reference levels by ICNIRP and IEEE might not be conservative.

Findlay RP, Lee AK, Dimbylow PJ. (2009). FDTD calculations of SAR for child voxel models in different postures between 10 MHz and 3 GHz. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 135(4):226-31.

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Review of wireless technologies and exposure assessment methodology

The author describes the main characteristics such as frequency band, output power, and data on various wireless technologies including Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network, World Interoperability for Microwave Access, Bluetooth and other wireless short-range communication, Radio Frequency Identification, and assessing exposures from wireless systems.

Hamnerius Y. (2009). Measurements of human exposure from emerging wireless technologies. Environmentalist 29:118–123.

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Impact of mobile phones on sperm motility

This research work investigates the negative impact of mobile phones on sperm motility of adult male rabbits. The pulsed radiofrequency emitted by the mobile phone kept in the standby position longitudinally affected sperm motility and fructose but not citrate levels in rabbit semen.

Salama N, Kishimoto T, Kanayama HO, Kagawa S. (2009). The mobile phone decreases fructose but not citrate in rabbit semen: a longitudinal study. Syst Biol Reprod Med. 55(5):181-187.

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Effects of mobile phone on male rabbit sexual behavior

This study investigates the accumulating effect of exposure to radiofrequency fields emitted by a mobile phone on male rabbit sexual behaviour. The authors concluded that the pulsed field which was kept on a standby position could affect the sexual behaviour in the rabbit.

Salama N, Kishimoto T, Kanayama HO, Kagawa S. Effects of exposure to a mobile phone on sexual behavior in adult male rabbit: an observational study. Int J Impot Res. Nov 26, 2009. Ahead of print.

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Effect of radiofrequency radiation on calcium binding proteins

This study investigates changes in the expression of calcium binding proteins (CaBP) which could indicate impaired Ca(2+) homeostasis due to electromagnetic exposure. Exposure for 1 month produced almost complete loss of pyramidal cells. Calcium binding proteins differences could cause changes in cellular Ca(2+) levels, which could have harmful  effect on normal hippocampal functions concerned with neuronal connectivity and integration.

Maskey D, Kim M, Aryal B, Pradhan J, Choi IY, Park KS, Son T, Hong SY, Kim SB, Kim HG, Kim MJ.
Effect of 835 MHz radiofrequency radiation exposure on calcium binding proteins in the hippocampus of the mouse brain. Brain Res. Dec 4, 2009. Ahead of print.

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Effects of electromagnetic fields on circadian rhythms in rats.

This study investigates the effects of different electromagnetic fields on some haematochemical parameters of circadian rhythms in Sprague-Dawley rats. Various changes occurred in some haematochemical parameters for glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol.

Contalbrigo L, Stelletta C, Falcioni L, Casella S, Piccione G, Soffritti M, Morgante M. (2009).  Effects of different electromagnetic fields on circadian rhythms of some haematochemical parameters in rats. Biomed Environ Sci. 22(4):348-53.

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Review of the effects of radiofrequency fields on wild mammals

The author presents a review of radiofrequency field radiation from wireless telecommunication devices on living organisms and wild mammals. Research design to carry out such studies on the adverse health effects of mobile phone and phone masts are proposed in this review.

Balmori A. The incidence of electromagnetic pollution on wild mammals: A new “poison” with a slow effect on nature? The Environmentalist. Nov 28, 2009. Ahead of print.

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Review of methodologies used in assessing non-thermal effects of mobile phone exposure

The author reviews advances in the methodologies and approaches to analyze the effect of radiofrequency field emitted from mobile phones on biological processes. Results on the classical cellular stress response, heat shock proteins and stimulation of stress-activated protein kinases are discussed. Recent approaches on non-thermal effect are also discussed.

Gaestel M. Biological monitoring of non-thermal effects of mobile phone radiation: recent approaches and challenges. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. Dec 15, 2009 Ahead of print.

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