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The Effects of 884 MHz GSM Wireless Communication Signals on Self-reported Symptom and Sleep (EEG)- An Experimental Provocation Study

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In the current study we assessed possible effects of prolonged (3 hours) exposure to 884 MHz GSM wireless communication signals on self-reported symptoms, cognitive function, and electroencephalographically (EEG) recorded sleep. The study group consisted of 36 women and 35 men. Twenty-two women and sixteen men reported symptoms they specifically related to mobile phone use (SG). The rest of the participants reported no mobile phone-related symptoms (NG). Potential participants volunteering for the study were evaluated by physicians, including some biochemical assessments, to rule out medical conditions that could interfere with study variables of interest. Once selected, participants spent three different sessions in the laboratory. The ha-bituation session was followed by two subsequent sessions. In these subsequent sessions, subjects were either exposed to sham exposure (sham) or 884 MHz GSM wireless communication signals for 3 hours (an average of 1.4 W/kg including periods of DTX and Non-DTX. Exposure directed to the left hemisphere). Data was collected before, during and following the exposure/sham ses-sions. Data collected included self-reported symptoms, including headache, cognitive function, mood, and electroencephalographic recordings. During actual exposure, as compared to sham exposure, sleep initiated one hour after exposure was affected. There was a prolonged latency to reach the first cycle of deep sleep (stage 3). The amount of stage 4 sleep was also decreased in exposed subjects. NG subjects reported more headaches during exposures vs. sham exposure. Neither group (SG and NG) was able to detect the true exposure status more frequently than by chance alone. The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected. Moreover, participants that otherwise have no self-reported symptoms related to mobile phone use, appear to have more headaches during actual radiofrequency exposure as compared to sham exposure. However, subjects were not able to detect the true exposure status more often than would have been expected by statistical chance alone. Additional self-reported findings, biochemical, performance and electrophysiological data are currently being analyzed. Possible health implications from the findings will also be further explored.
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PIERS ONLINE, VOL. 3, NO. 7, 2007 1148
The Effects of 884 MHz GSM Wireless Communication Signals on
Self-reported Symptoms and Sleep An Experimental
Provocation Study
Bengt Arnetz
1
, Torborn
˚
Akerstedt
2
, Lena Hillert
2
, Arne Lowden
2
Niels Kuster
3
, and Clairy Wiholm
1
1
Wayne State University & Uppsala University, USA
2
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
3
Foundation IT’IS, USA
Abstract In the current study we assessed possible effects of prolonged (3 hours) exposure
to 884 MHz GSM wireless communication signals on self-reported symptoms, cognitive function,
and electroencephalographically (EEG) recorded sleep. The study group consisted of 36 women
and 35 men. Twenty-two women and sixteen men reported symptoms they specifically related to
mobile phone use (SG). The rest of the participants reported no mobile phone-related symptoms
(NG).
Potential participants volunteering for the study were evaluated by physicians, including some
biochemical assessments, to rule out medical conditions that could interfere with study variables
of interest. Once selected, participants spent three different sessions in the laboratory. The ha-
bituation session was followed by two subsequent sessions. In these subsequent sessions, subjects
were either exposed to sham exposure (sham) or 884 MHz GSM wireless communication signals
for 3 hours (an average of 1.4 W/kg including periods of DTX and Non-DTX. Exposure directed
to the left hemisphere). Data was collected before, during and following the exposure/sham ses-
sions. Data collected included self-reported symptoms, including headache, cognitive function,
mood, and electroencephalographic recordings.
During actual exposure, as compared to sham exposure, sleep initiated one hour after exposure
was affected. There was a prolonged latency to reach the first cycle of deep sleep (stage 3). The
amount of stage 4 sleep was also decreased in exposed subjects. NG subjects reported more
headaches during exposures vs. sham exp osure. Neither group (SG and NG) was able to detect
the true exposure status more frequently than by chance alone.
The study indicates that during laboratory exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, comp onents
of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected.
Moreover, participants that otherwise have no self-reported symptoms related to mobile phone
use, appear to have more headaches during actual radiofrequency exposure as compared to sham
exposure. However, subjects were not able to detect the true exposure status more often than
would have been expected by statistical chance alone.
Additional self-reported findings, biochemical, performance and electrophysiological data are
currently b eing analyzed. Possible health implications from the findings will also be further
explored.
DOI: 10.2529/PIERS060907172142
1. INTRODUCTION
There have been a number of scientific reports concerning the possible relationship between expo-
sure to radio frequency fields (RF) during mobile phone use and self reported symptoms, such as
skin sensations, cognitive symptoms, headache, dizziness and sleep disturbances (1–9). However,
prior laboratory-based RF exposure studies have been of short-term duration, commonly focusing
only on a few outcome variables of interest, and rarely combined self-reported, performance, neuro-
physiological and neuroendocrine parameters. In order to better understand biological mechanisms
behind a possible association between RF exposure and self-reported symptoms, neurophysiologi-
cal and cognitive responses, we believe a more comprehensive exposure and assessment strategy is
needed.
At the previous PIERS meeting in Cambridge, MASS, USA, 2006 we presented the design and
methodology of an ongoing double-blind controlled laboratory study with the objective to estab-
lish whether RF during mobile phone use had any direct effects on: (1) self-reported symptoms,
PIERS ONLINE, VOL. 3, NO. 7, 2007 1149
(2) cognitive symptoms, (3) stress hormones, (4) performance and subsequent sleep and electroen-
cephalogram (EEC). Furthermore, we wanted to establish whether the subjects with self-reported
symptoms attributed to mobile phone use (SG) would be able to differentiate exposure conditions
from sham, compared to the non symptomatic subjects (NG).
2. METHOD
The exposure set up exposed the left head hemisphere to a GSM signal (884 MHz) at an average
of 1.4 W/kg including periods of DTX and Non-DTX (Fig. 1). The exposure was designed to be
consistent with worst case exposure occurring in real-life situations, but with extended duration.
The exposure laboratory consisted of two separate rooms. In each room, the respective exposure
area was shielded with screens, covered with absorbing material. RF and EMF background as-
sessments were conducted prior to initiating the actual study, and quarterly in order to ensure the
background field environment in the laboratory was in agreement with specifications in the research
protocol. All mobile phone use outside the exposure laboratory was eliminated during exposure
sessions. Each exposure session lasted for 3 hours. Three sessions were conducted for each subject,
one habituation session and two exposure sessions. The exposure sessions were randomly selected
for Sham and RF exposure. During the sessions participants carried out performance and memory
tests, scored self-reported symptoms and state of mood. Discrete Likert-type scales were used in
the symptom scoring questionnaires. Typically the ratings ranged from 1, indicating “not at all”
to 7, “a high degree” or from “disagree strongly” to “agree strongly”. After completed exposure
the subjects were EEG (electroencephalogram) recorded as they slept in a sleep laboratory. During
the subsequent morning additional test were performed before they left the laboratory.
Subject during exposure
Figure 1: Picture of the actual exposure set up, showing the 884 MHz GSM wireless exposure unit (black
box).
3. MATERIAL
The final study group consisted of 71 subjects, age between 18–45 years, where 38 subjects fulfilled
the study criteria for SG (22 women and 16 men) and 33 subjects were classified as NG (14 women
and 19 men). All subjects reported using their mobile phones daily. The speaking time ranged
from five minutes to more than three hours.
4. RESULTS
Sleep initiated one hour after exposure was found to be affected. Under the RF exposure condition,
participants exhibited a longer latency to deep sleep (stage 3, meanRF=0.37, (SD=0.33), mean-
Sham=0.27 hours (SD=0.12); F=9.34, p=0.0037). The amount of stage 4 sleep was also decreased
(meanRF=37.2 minutes (SD=28), meanSham=45.5 minutes (SD=28); F=10.7, p=0.0019).
For headache, random effects logistic regression was used. Preliminary results reveal a significant
interaction effect for exposure and group. The NG reported less headache during sham exposure
compared to the SG. The proportion of subjects who reported headache was higher during RF
exposure than during sham exposure in the NG but not the SG group. Participants were not able
to differentiate RF exposure conditions from sham exposures more often than would have been
PIERS ONLINE, VOL. 3, NO. 7, 2007 1150
expected by statistical chance alone. Neither were there any statistically significant differences
between the SG and NG in reliable detecting results.
5. DISCUSSION
Our results suggest that RF exposure under these conditions is associated with adverse effects on
sleep quality within certain sleep stages. The strengths of this study compared to earlier studies are
the longer exposure time during worst conditions and a wider range of outcome variables, including
self-reported, neuroendocrine, and neurophysiological variables. There are a number of possible
factors that need to be considered when interpreting the results. One being that the exposure
laboratory was not fully shielded. However, the shielding walls provided sufficient protection for
indirect exposure between the two rooms. Considering this and other possible confounders, we still
conclude that there are statistical associations between RF exposure and specific self-reported and
neurophysiological variables, pertinent to the current discussions of possible effects from mobile
phone-generated RF exposure. Future analysis of the current study will further assess various
biological, neurophysiological, and cognitive outcome measures, e.g., spatial memory, performance,
and EEG data. We will also attempt to assess the possible clinical relevance of the observed
findings.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Funding for the study was provided by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF).
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To test whether people who report being sensitive to mobile phone signals have more symptoms when exposed to a pulsing mobile signal than when exposed to a sham signal or a non-pulsing signal. Double blind, randomised, within participants provocation study. Dedicated suite of offices at King's College London, between September 2003 and June 2005. 60 "sensitive" people who reported often getting headache-like symptoms within 20 minutes of using a global system for mobile communication (GSM) mobile phone and 60 "control" participants who did not report any such symptoms. Participants were exposed to three conditions: a 900 MHz GSM mobile phone signal, a non-pulsing carrier wave signal, and a sham condition with no signal present. Each exposure lasted for 50 minutes. The principal outcome measure was headache severity assessed with a 0-100 visual analogue scale. Other outcomes included six other subjective symptoms and participants' ability to judge whether a signal was present. Headache severity increased during exposure and decreased immediately afterwards. However, no strong evidence was found of any difference between the conditions in terms of symptom severity. Nor did evidence of any differential effect of condition between the two groups exist. The proportion of sensitive participants who believed a signal was present during GSM exposure (60%) was similar to the proportion who believed one was present during sham exposure (63%). No evidence was found to indicate that people with self reported sensitivity to mobile phone signals are able to detect such signals or that they react to them with increased symptom severity. As sham exposure was sufficient to trigger severe symptoms in some participants, psychological factors may have an important role in causing this condition. ISRCTN81432775.
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