Ecological momentary assessment study of exposure to RF EMF and non-specific physical symptoms with self- declared electrosensitives

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1743

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typecohort

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Ecological momentary assessment study of exposure to RF EMF and non-specific physical symptoms with self- declared electrosensitives Bolte JFB, Clahsen S, Vercruijsse W, Houtveen JH, Schipper CMA, van Kamp I, Bogers R. Ecological momentary assessment study of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-specific physical symptoms with self-declared electrosensitives. Environ Int. 2019 Jul 6;131:104948. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104948. Highlights • No correlation of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health effects at group level • Significant within person correlation EMF and non specific physical symptoms • Time above a level of exposure and rate of change show correlations; TWA doesn't. Abstract The main objective of the study is to determine if non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) in people with self- declared sensitivity to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) can be explained (across subjects) by exposure to RF EMF. Furthermore, we pioneered whether analysis at the individual level or at the group level may lead to different conclusions. By our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study exploring the data at the individual level. A group of 57 participants was equipped with a measurement set for five consecutive days. The measurement set consisted of a body worn exposimeter measuring the radiofrequency electromagnetic field in twelve frequency bands used for communication, a GPS logger, and an electronic diary giving cues at random intervals within a two to three hour interval. At every cue, a questionnaire on the most important health complaint and nine NSPS had to be filled out. We analysed the (time-lagged) associations between RF-EMF exposure in the included frequency bands and the total number of NSPS and self-rated severity of the most important health complaint. The manifestation of NSPS was studied during two different time lags - 0-1 h, and 1- 4 h - after exposure and for different exposure metrics of RF EMF. The exposure was characterised by exposure metrics describing the central tendency and the intermittency of the signal, i.e. the time-weighted average exposure, the time above an exposure level or the rate of change metric. At group level, there was no statistically significant and relevant (fixed effect) association between the measured personal exposure to RF EMF and NSPS. At individual level, after correction for multiple testing and confounding, we found significant within-person associations between WiFi (the self-declared most important source) exposure metrics and the total NSPS score and severity of the most important complaint in one participant. However, it cannot be ruled out that this association is explained by residual confounding due to imperfect control for location or activities. Therefore, the outcomes have to be regarded very prudently. The significant associations were found for the short and the long time lag, but not always concurrently, so both provide complementary information. We also conclude that analyses at the individual level can lead to different findings when compared to an analysis at group level. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecohort

Effect directionmixed

PopulationPeople with self-declared sensitivity to RF EMF (self-declared electrosensitives)

Sample size57

ExposureRF · 5 consecutive days; symptoms assessed at random intervals; time lags 0–1 h and 1–4 h after exposure

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In 57 self-declared electrosensitives monitored for five days with a body-worn exposimeter and ecological momentary assessment, there was no statistically significant and relevant association between measured personal RF-EMF exposure and NSPS at the group level. At the individual level, after correction for multiple testing and confounding, significant within-person associations between WiFi exposure metrics and NSPS/complaint severity were observed in one participant; authors note residual confounding cannot be ruled out and results should be interpreted prudently.

Outcomes measured

Non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) total score (9 symptoms)
Self-rated severity of the most important health complaint

Limitations

Significant within-person association observed in only one participant
Residual confounding cannot be ruled out (imperfect control for location or activities)
Authors advise prudent interpretation
Different exposure metrics yielded different results (e.g., time-weighted average not correlated while intermittency metrics were)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "personal exposure (multiple communication bands); WiFi highlighted",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "5 consecutive days; symptoms assessed at random intervals; time lags 0–1 h and 1–4 h after exposure"
  },
  "population": "People with self-declared sensitivity to RF EMF (self-declared electrosensitives)",
  "sample_size": 57,
  "outcomes": [
    "Non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) total score (9 symptoms)",
    "Self-rated severity of the most important health complaint"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In 57 self-declared electrosensitives monitored for five days with a body-worn exposimeter and ecological momentary assessment, there was no statistically significant and relevant association between measured personal RF-EMF exposure and NSPS at the group level. At the individual level, after correction for multiple testing and confounding, significant within-person associations between WiFi exposure metrics and NSPS/complaint severity were observed in one participant; authors note residual confounding cannot be ruled out and results should be interpreted prudently.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Significant within-person association observed in only one participant",
    "Residual confounding cannot be ruled out (imperfect control for location or activities)",
    "Authors advise prudent interpretation",
    "Different exposure metrics yielded different results (e.g., time-weighted average not correlated while intermittency metrics were)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ecological momentary assessment",
    "RF EMF",
    "radiofrequency",
    "exposimeter",
    "WiFi",
    "non-specific physical symptoms",
    "electrosensitivity",
    "longitudinal",
    "time-lagged analysis",
    "personal exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.22,
      "reason": "WiFi exposure metrics were specifically analyzed and highlighted as the self-declared most important source, though setting is not specified."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104948
PubMed: Not supplied

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