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Pophof B, Kuhne J, Schmid G, Weiser E, Dorn H, Henschenmacher B, Burns J, Danker-Hopfe H, Sauter C. The effect of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on cognitive performance in human experimental studies: Systematic review and meta-analyses. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 191:108899. [PMID: 39265322 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The objective of this review is to evaluate the associations between short-term exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and cognitive performance in human experimental studies. METHODS Online databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and EMF-Portal) were searched for studies that evaluated effects of exposure to RF-EMF on seven domains of cognitive performance in human experimental studies. The assessment of study quality was based on the Risk of Bias (RoB) tool developed by the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT). Random effects meta-analyses of Hedges's g were conducted separately for accuracy- and speed-related performance measures of various cognitive domains, for which data from at least two studies were available. Finally, the certainty of evidence for each identified outcome was assessed according to Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS 57,543 records were identified and 76 studies (80 reports) met the inclusion criteria. The included 76 studies with 3846 participants, consisting of humans of different age, sex and health status from 19 countries, were conducted between 1989 and 2021. Quantitative data from 50 studies (52 reports) with 2433 participants were included into the meta-analyses. These studies were performed in 15 countries between 2001 and 2021. The majority of the included studies used head exposure with GSM 900 uplink. None of the meta-analyses observed a statistically significant effect of RF-EMF exposure compared to sham on cognitive performance as measured by the confidence interval surrounding the Hedges's g or the significance of the z-statistic. For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Attention - Attentional Capacity RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g 0.024, 95 % CI [-0.10; 0.15], I2 = 28 %, 473 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Attention - Concentration / Focused Attention RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g 0.005, 95 % CI [-0.17; 0.18], I2 = 7 %, 132 participants) and probably results in little to no difference in accuracy; it does not reduce accuracy (Hedges's g 0.097, 95 % CI [-0.05; 0.24], I2 = 0 %, 217 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Attention - Vigilance RF-EMF exposure probably results in little to no difference in speed and does not reduce speed (Hedges's g 0.118, 95 % CI [-0.04; 0.28], I2 = 41 %, 247 participants) and results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g 0.042, 95 % CI, [-0.09; 0.18], I2 = 0 %, 199 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Attention - Selective Attention RF-EMF exposure probably results in little to no difference in speed and does not reduce speed (Hedges's g 0.080, 95 % CI [-0.09; 0.25], I2 = 63 %, 452 participants); it may result in little to no difference in accuracy, but it probably does not reduce accuracy (Hedges's g 0.178, 95 % CI [-0.02; 0.38], I2 = 68 %, 480 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Attention - Divided Attention RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g -0.010, 95 % CI [-0.14; 0.12], I2 = 5 %, 307 participants) and may result in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g -0.089, 95 % CI [-0.35; 0.18], I2 = 53 %, 167 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Processing Speed - Simple Reaction Time Task RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g 0.069, 95 % CI [-0.02; +0.16], I2 = 29 %, 820 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Processing Speed - 2-Choice Reaction Time Task RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g -0.023, 95 % CI [-0.13; 0.08], I2 = 0 %, 401 participants), and may result in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g -0.063, 95 % CI [-0.38; 0.25], I2 = 63 %, 117 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Processing Speed - >2-Choice Reaction Time Task RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g -0.054, 95 % CI [-0.14; 0.03], I2 = 0 %, 544 participants) and probably results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g -0.129, 95 % CI [-0.30; 0.04], I2 = 0 %, 131 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Processing Speed - Other Tasks RF-EMF exposure probably results in little to no difference in speed and does not reduce speed (Hedges's g 0.067, 95 % CI [-0.12; 0.26], I2 = 38 %, 249 participants); it results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g 0.036, 95 % CI [-0.08; 0.15], I2 = 0 %, 354 participants). For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Working Memory - n-back Task (0-3-back) we found Hedges's g ranging from -0.090, 95 % CI [-0.18; 0.01] to 0.060, 95 % CI [-0.06; 0.18], all I2 = 0 %, 237 to 474 participants, and conclude that RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in both speed and accuracy. For the domain Orientation and Attention, subclass Working Memory - Mental Tracking RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g -0.047, 95 % [CI -0.15; 0.05], I2 = 0 %, 438 participants). For the domain Perception, subclass Visual and Auditory Perception RF-EMF exposure may result in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g -0.015, 95 % CI [-0.23; 0.195], I2 = 0 %, 84 participants) and probably results in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g 0.035, 95 % CI [-0.13; 0.199], I2 = 0 %, 137 participants). For the domain Memory, subclass Verbal and Visual Memory RF-EMF exposure probably results in little to no difference in speed and does not reduce speed (Hedges's g 0.042, 95 % CI [-0.15; 0.23], I2 = 0 %, 102 participants); it may result in little to no difference in accuracy (Hedges's g -0.087, 95 % CI [-0.38; 0.20], I2 = 85 %, 625 participants). For the domain Verbal Functions and Language Skills, subclass Verbal Expression, a meta-analysis was not possible because one of the two included studies did not provide numerical values. Results of both studies did not indicate statistically significant effects of RF-EMF exposure on both speed and accuracy. For the domain Construction and Motor Performance, subclass Motor Skills RF-EMF exposure may reduce speed, but the evidence is very uncertain (Hedges's g -0.919, 95 % CI [-3.09; 1.26], I2 = 96 %, 42 participants); it probably results in little to no difference in accuracy and does not reduce accuracy (Hedges's g 0.228, 95 % CI [-0.01; 0.46], I2 = 0 %, 109 participants). For the domain Concept Formation and Reasoning, subclass Reasoning RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g 0.010, 95 % CI [-0.11; 0.13], I2 = 0 %, 263 participants) and probably results in little to no difference in accuracy and does not reduce accuracy (Hedges's g 0.051, 95 % CI [-0.14; 0.25], I2 = 0 %, 100 participants). For the domain Concept Formation and Reasoning, subclass Mathematical Procedures RF-EMF exposure results in little to no difference in speed (Hedges's g 0.033, 95 % CI [-0.12; 0.18], I2 = 0 %, 168 participants) and may result in little to no difference in accuracy but probably does not reduce accuracy (Hedges's g 0.232, 95 % CI [-0.12; +0.59], I2 = 86 %, 253 participants). For the domain Executive Functions there were no studies. DISCUSSION Overall, the results from all domains and subclasses across their speed- and accuracy-related outcome measures according to GRADE provide high to low certainty of evidence that short-term RF-EMF exposure does not reduce cognitive performance in human experimental studies. For 16 out of 35 subdomains some uncertainty remains, because of limitations in the study quality, inconsistency in the results or imprecision of the combined effect size estimate. Future research should focus on construction and motor performance, elderly, and consideration of both sexes. OTHER This review was partially funded by the WHO radioprotection programme. The protocol for this review was registered in Prospero reg. no. CRD42021236168 and published in Environment International (Pophof et al. 2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanka Pophof
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Competence Centre EMF, Oberschleißheim, Germany.
| | - Jens Kuhne
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Competence Centre EMF, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | | | - Evelyn Weiser
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Competence Centre EMF, Cottbus, Germany
| | - Hans Dorn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Henschenmacher
- Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Optical Radiation, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Jacob Burns
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology (IBE), LMU Munich, Germany
| | - Heidi Danker-Hopfe
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelia Sauter
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, 12203 Berlin, Germany
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Jamal L, Yahia-Cherif L, Hugueville L, Mazet P, Lévêque P, Selmaoui B. Assessment of Electrical Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers Exposed to 3.5 GHz of 5G Signals within Environmental Levels: A Controlled-Randomised Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6793. [PMID: 37754652 PMCID: PMC10530694 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20186793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Following the recent deployment of fifth-generation (5G) radio frequencies, several questions about their health impacts have been raised. Due to the lack of experimental research on this subject, the current study aimed to investigate the bio-physiological effects of a generated 3.5 GHz frequency. For this purpose, the wake electroencephalograms (EEG) of 34 healthy volunteers were explored during two "real" and "sham" exposure sessions. The electromagnetic fields were antenna-emitted in an electrically shielded room and had an electrical field root-mean-square intensity of 2 V/m, corresponding to the current outdoor exposure levels. The sessions were a maximum of one week apart, and both contained an exposure period of approximately 26 min and were followed by a post-exposure period of 17 min. The power spectral densities (PSDs) of the beta, alpha, theta, and delta bands were then computed and corrected based on an EEG baseline period. This was acquired for 17 min before the subsequent phases were recorded under two separate conditions: eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC). A statistical analysis showed an overall non-significant change in the studied brain waves, except for a few electrodes in the alpha, theta, and delta spectra. This change was translated into an increase or decrease in the PSDs, in response to the EO and EC conditions. In conclusion, this studhy showed that 3.5 GHz exposure, within the regulatory levels and exposure parameters used in this protocol, did not affect brain activity in healthy young adults. Moreover, to our knowledge, this was the first laboratory-controlled human EEG study on 5G effects. It attempted to address society's current concern about the impact of 5G exposure on human health at environmental levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Jamal
- Department of Experimental Toxicology and Modeling (TEAM), Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France;
- PériTox Laboratory (UMR_I 01), INERIS/UPJV, INERIS, 60550 Verneuil en Halatte, France
| | - Lydia Yahia-Cherif
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Center for NeuroImaging Research (CENIR), Sorbonne University, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013 Paris, France; (L.Y.-C.); (L.H.)
| | - Laurent Hugueville
- Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Center for NeuroImaging Research (CENIR), Sorbonne University, INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013 Paris, France; (L.Y.-C.); (L.H.)
| | - Paul Mazet
- Technical Centre for Mechanical Industries (CETIM), 52 Avenue Félix Louat, 60300 Senlis, France;
| | - Philippe Lévêque
- XLIM Research Institute, University of Limoges, UMR CNRS 7252, 123 Avenue Albert Thomas, 87000 Limoges, France;
| | - Brahim Selmaoui
- Department of Experimental Toxicology and Modeling (TEAM), Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques (INERIS), Parc Technologique Alata, BP 2, 60550 Verneuil-en-Halatte, France;
- PériTox Laboratory (UMR_I 01), INERIS/UPJV, INERIS, 60550 Verneuil en Halatte, France
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Hinrikus H, Koppel T, Lass J, Orru H, Roosipuu P, Bachmann M. Possible health effects on the human brain by various generations of mobile telecommunication: a review based estimation of 5G impact. Int J Radiat Biol 2022; 98:1210-1221. [PMID: 34995145 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2022.2026516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The deployment of new 5G NR technology has significantly raised public concerns in possible negative effects on human health by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF). The current review is aimed to clarify the differences between possible health effects caused by the various generations of telecommunication technology, especially discussing and projecting possible health effects by 5G. The review of experimental studies on the human brain over the last fifteen years and the discussion on physical mechanisms and factors determining the dependence of the RF EMF effects on frequency and signal structure have been performed to discover and explain the possible distinctions between health effects by different telecommunication generations. CONCLUSIONS The human experimental studies on RF EMF effects on the human brain by 2G, 3G and 4G at frequencies from 450 to 2500 MHz were available for analyses. The search for publications indicated no human experimental studies by 5G nor at the RF EMF frequencies higher than 2500 MHz. The results of the current review demonstrate no consistent relationship between the character of RF EMF effects and parameters of exposure by different generations (2G, 3G, 4G) of telecommunication technology. At the RF EMF frequencies lower than 10 GHz, the impact of 5G NR FR1 should have no principal differences compared to the previous generations. The radio frequencies used in 5G are even higher and the penetration depths of the fields are smaller, therefore the effect is rather lower than at previous generations. At the RF EMF frequencies higher than 10 GHz, the mechanism of the effects might differ and the impact of 5G NR FR2 becomes unpredictable. Existing knowledge about the mechanism of RF EMF effects at millimeter waves lacks sufficient experimental data and theoretical models for reliable conclusions. The insufficient knowledge about the possible health effects at millimeter waves and the lack of in vivo experimental studies on 5G NR underline an urgent need for the theoretical and experimental investigations of health effects by 5G NR, especially by 5G NR FR2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiie Hinrikus
- Department of Health Technologies, School of Information Technologies, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Tarmo Koppel
- Department of Business Administration, School of Business and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Jaanus Lass
- Department of Health Technologies, School of Information Technologies, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Hans Orru
- Department of Public Health, Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Priit Roosipuu
- Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics, School of Information Technologies, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Maie Bachmann
- Department of Health Technologies, School of Information Technologies, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
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Hinrikus H, Lass J, Bachmann M. Threshold of radiofrequency electromagnetic field effect on human brain. Int J Radiat Biol 2021; 97:1505-1515. [PMID: 34402382 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2021.1969055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This review aims to estimate the threshold of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) effects on human brain based on analyses of published research results. To clarify the threshold of the RF EMF effects, two approaches have been applied: (1) the analyses of restrictions in sensitivity for different steps of the physical model of low-level RF EMF mechanism and (2) the analyses of experimental data to clarify the dependence of the RF EMF effect on exposure level based on the results of published original neurophysiological and behavioral human studies for 15 years 2007-2021. CONCLUSIONS The analyses of the physical model of nonthermal mechanisms of RF EMF effect leads to conclusion that no principal threshold of the effect can be determined. According to the review of experimental data, the rate of detected RF EMF effects is 76.7% in resting EEG studies, 41.7% in sleep EEG and 38.5% in behavioral studies. The changes in EEG probably appear earlier than alterations in behavior become evident. The lowest level of RF EMF at which the effect in EEG was detected is 2.45 V/m (SAR = 0.003 W/kg). There is a preliminary indication that the dependence of the effect on the level of exposure follows rather field strength than SAR alterations. However, no sufficient data are available for clarifying linearity-nonlinearity of the dependence of effect on the level of RF EMF. The finding that only part of people are sensitive to RF EMF exposure can be related to immunity to radiation or hypersensitivity. The changes in EEG caused by RF EMF appeared similar in the majority of analyzed studies and similar to these in depression. The possible causal relationship between RF EMF effect and depression among young people is highly important problem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaanus Lass
- Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
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Elliott P, Aresu M, Gao H, Vergnaud AC, Heard A, McRobie D, Spear J, Singh D, Kongsgård HW, Mbema C, Muller DC. Use of TETRA personal radios and sickness absence in the Airwave Health Monitoring Study of the British police forces. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 175:148-155. [PMID: 31125718 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is used for radiocommunications among the British police forces. OBJECTIVES To investigate association of personal radio use and sickness absence among police officers and staff from the Airwave Health Monitoring Study. METHODS Participant-level sickness absence records for 26 forces were linked with personal radio use for 32,102 participants. We used multivariable logistic regression to analyse TETRA usage in year prior to enrolment and sickness absence (lasting more than 7 or 28 consecutive days) in the following year and a zero-inflated negative binomial model for analyses of number of sickness absence episodes of any duration ('spells') over the same period. In secondary analyses, we looked at an extended period of observation among a sub-cohort with linked data over time, using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS Median personal radio use (year prior to enrolment) was 29.7 min per month (interquartile range 7.5, 64.7) among users. In the year following enrolment there were 25,655 sickness absence spells among 15,248 participants. There were similar risks of sickness absence lasting more than seven days among users and non-users, although among users risk was higher with greater use, odds ratio = 1.04 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.06) per doubling of radio use. There was no association for sickness absence of more than 28 days. For sickness absence spells, risk was lower among users than non-users (incidence rate ratio = 0.91; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.11), again with higher risk among users for greater radio use. There was no association between radio use and sickness absence in secondary analyses. DISCUSSION There were similar or lower risks of sickness absence in TETRA radio users compared with non-users. Among users, the higher risk of sickness absence with greater radio use may reflect working pattern differences among police personnel rather than effects of radiofrequency exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Health Effects of Environmental Hazards, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Maria Aresu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - He Gao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Anne-Claire Vergnaud
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andy Heard
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dennis McRobie
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jeanette Spear
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Deepa Singh
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Catherine Mbema
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK; Consultant in Public Health, Lewisham Council, London, UK
| | - David C Muller
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Gao H, Aresu M, Vergnaud AC, McRobie D, Spear J, Heard A, Kongsgård HW, Singh D, Muller DC, Elliott P. Personal radio use and cancer risks among 48,518 British police officers and staff from the Airwave Health Monitoring Study. Br J Cancer 2019; 120:375-378. [PMID: 30585256 PMCID: PMC6354010 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-018-0365-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from mobile phones have been classified as potentially carcinogenic. No study has investigated use of Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), a source of RF-EMF with wide occupational use, and cancer risks. METHODS We investigated association of monthly personal radio use and risk of cancer using Cox proportional hazards regression among 48,518 police officers and staff of the Airwave Health Monitoring Study in Great Britain. RESULTS During median follow-up of 5.9 years, 716 incident cancer cases were identified. Among users, the median of the average monthly duration of use in the year prior to enrolment was 30.5 min (inter-quartile range 8.1, 68.1). Overall, there was no association between personal radio use and risk of all cancers (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93, 1.03). For head and neck cancers HR = 0.72 (95% CI: 0.30, 1.70) among personal radio users vs non-users, and among users it was 1.06 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.23) per doubling of minutes of personal radio use. CONCLUSIONS With the limited follow-up to date, we found no evidence of association of personal radio use with cancer risk. Continued follow-up of the cohort is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Gao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Maria Aresu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Anne-Claire Vergnaud
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Dennis McRobie
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jeanette Spear
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andy Heard
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Håvard Wahl Kongsgård
- Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Deepa Singh
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - David C Muller
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Elliott
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Health Effects of Environmental Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) at Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Health Data Research-UK (HDR) London Centre at Imperial College, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Köhler T, Wölfel M, Ciba M, Bochtler U, Thielemann C. Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) exposure of neuronal in vitro networks. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 162:1-7. [PMID: 29272813 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is a worldwide common mobile communication standard, used by authorities and organizations with security tasks. Previous studies reported on health effects of TETRA, with focus on the specific pulse frequency of 17.64Hz, which affects calcium efflux in neuronal cells. Likewise among others, it was reported that TETRA affects heart rate variability, neurophysiology and leads to headaches. In contrast, other studies conclude that TETRA does not affect calcium efflux of cells and has no effect on people's health. In the present study we examine whether TETRA short- and long-term exposure could affect the electrophysiology of neuronal in vitro networks. Experiments were performed with a carrier frequency of 395MHz, a pulse frequency of 17.64Hz and a differential quaternary phase-shift keying (π/4 DQPSK) modulation. Specific absorption rates (SAR) of 1.17W/kg and 2.21W/kg were applied. In conclusion, the present results do not indicate any effect of TETRA exposure on electrophysiology of neuronal in vitro networks, neither for short-term nor long-term exposure. This applies to the examined parameters spike rate, burst rate, burst duration and network synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Köhler
- BioMEMS Lab, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Straße 45, D-63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany.
| | - Maximilian Wölfel
- Laboratory for EMC, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Straße 45, D-63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany.
| | - Manuel Ciba
- BioMEMS Lab, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Straße 45, D-63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Bochtler
- Laboratory for EMC, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Straße 45, D-63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany.
| | - Christiane Thielemann
- BioMEMS Lab, University of Applied Sciences Aschaffenburg, Würzburger Straße 45, D-63743 Aschaffenburg, Germany.
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Curcio G. Exposure to Mobile Phone-Emitted Electromagnetic Fields and Human Attention: No Evidence of a Causal Relationship. Front Public Health 2018. [PMID: 29527523 PMCID: PMC5829032 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past 20 years of research regarding effects of mobile phone-derived electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human cognition, attention has been one of the first and most extensively investigated functions. Different domains investigated covered selective, sustained, and divided attention. Here, the most relevant studies on this topic have been reviewed and discussed. A total of 43 studies are reported and summarized: of these, 31 indicated a total absence of statistically significant difference between real and sham signal, 9 showed a partial improvement of attentional performance (mainly increase in speed of performance and/or improvement of accuracy) as a function of real exposure, while the remaining 3 showed inconsistent results (i.e., increased speed in some tasks and slowing in others) or even a worsening in performance (reduced speed and/or deteriorated accuracy). These results are independent of the specific attentional domain investigated. This scenario allows to conclude that there is a substantial lack of evidence about a negative influence of non-ionizing radiations on attention functioning. Nonetheless, published literature is very heterogeneous under the point of view of methodology (type of signal, exposure time, blinding), dosimetry (accurate evaluation of specific absorption rate-SAR or emitted power), and statistical analyses, making arduous a conclusive generalization to everyday life. Some remarks and suggestions regarding future research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Curcio
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
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Burgess AP, Fouquet NC, Seri S, Hawken MB, Heard A, Neasham D, Little MP, Elliott P. Acute Exposure to Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) has effects on the electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram, consistent with vagal nerve stimulation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2016; 150:461-469. [PMID: 27419367 PMCID: PMC5010210 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is a telecommunications system widely used by police and emergency services around the world. The Stewart Report on mobile telephony and health raised questions about possible health effects associated with TETRA signals. This study investigates possible effects of TETRA signals on the electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram in human volunteers. METHODS Blinded randomized provocation study with a standardized TETRA signal or sham exposure. In the first of two experiments, police officers had a TETRA set placed first against the left temple and then the upper-left quadrant of the chest and the electroencephalogram was recorded during rest and active cognitive processing. In the second experiment, volunteers were subject to chest exposure of TETRA whilst their electroencephalogram and heart rate variability derived from the electrocardiogram were recorded. RESULTS In the first experiment, we found that exposure to TETRA had consistent neurophysiological effects on the electroencephalogram, but only during chest exposure, in a pattern suggestive of vagal nerve stimulation. In the second experiment, we observed changes in heart rate variability during exposure to TETRA but the electroencephalogram effects were not replicated. CONCLUSIONS Observed effects of exposure to TETRA signals on the electroencephalogram (first experiment) and electrocardiogram are consistent with vagal nerve stimulation in the chest by TETRA. However given the small effect on heart rate variability and the lack of consistency on the electroencephalogram, it seems unlikely that this will have a significant impact on health. Long-term monitoring of the health of the police force in relation to TETRA use is on-going.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian P Burgess
- Aston Brain Centre, School of Life & Health Sciences, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
| | - Nathalie C Fouquet
- Aston Brain Centre, School of Life & Health Sciences, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
| | - Stefano Seri
- Aston Brain Centre, School of Life & Health Sciences, School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
| | - Malcolm B Hawken
- Research Institute for Sport & Exercise Sciences. Liverpool John Moores University, Tom Reilly Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Andrew Heard
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - David Neasham
- Creativ-Ceutical Ltd, The Bank Chambers, 10 Borough High Street, London SE1 9QQ, UK
| | - Mark P Little
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-9778, USA
| | - Paul Elliott
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, St Mary's Campus, London W2 1PG, UK.
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