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Effects of evening exposure to 3G mobile phone EMF on health and night sleep EEG architecture

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1899

In a double-blind crossover study of UMTS 3G exposure (1,930–1,990 MHz; time-averaged 10 g SAR 1.6 W/kg), sleep stages did not differ between active and sham exposure. Power spectrum analyses showed reduced activity in the slow spindle range (11.0–12.75 Hz), …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019
Study typerandomized_trial
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of evening exposure to 3G mobile phone EMF on health and night sleep EEG architecture Lowden A, Nagai R, Åkerstedt T, Hansson Mild K, Hillert L. Effects of evening exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by 3G mobile phones on health and night sleep EEG architecture. J Sleep Res. 2019 Jan 15:e12813. doi: 10.1111/jsr.12813. Abstract Studies on sleep after exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields have shown mixed results. We investigated the effects of double-blind radiofrequency exposure to 1,930-1,990 MHz, UMTS 3G signalling standard, time-averaged 10 g specific absorption rate of 1.6 W kg-1on self-evaluated sleepiness and objective electroencephalogram architecture during sleep. Eighteen subjects aged 18-19 years underwent 3.0 hr of controlled exposure on two consecutive days 19:45-23:00 hours (including 15-min break); active or sham prior to sleep, followed by full-night 7.5 hr polysomnographic recordings in a sleep laboratory. In a cross-over design, the procedure was repeated a week later with the second condition. The results for sleep electroencephalogram architecture showed no change after radiofrequency exposure in sleep stages compared with sham, but power spectrum analyses showed a reduction of activity within the slow spindle range (11.0-12.75 Hz). No differences were found for self-evaluated health symptoms, performance on the Stroop colour word test during exposure or for sleep quality. These results confirm previous findings that radiofrequency post-exposure in the evening has very little influence on electroencephalogram architecture but possible on spindle range activity. 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 typerandomized_trial
Effect directionmixed
Population18 subjects aged 18–19 years
Sample size18
ExposureRF · 1.6 W/kg · 3.0 hr evening exposure (19:45–23:00) on two consecutive days; followed by 7.5 hr polysomnography
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a double-blind crossover study of UMTS 3G exposure (1,930–1,990 MHz; time-averaged 10 g SAR 1.6 W/kg), sleep stages did not differ between active and sham exposure. Power spectrum analyses showed reduced activity in the slow spindle range (11.0–12.75 Hz), while self-evaluated health symptoms, Stroop test performance, and sleep quality showed no differences.

Outcomes measured

  • Self-evaluated sleepiness
  • Sleep EEG architecture (sleep stages)
  • EEG power spectrum (slow spindle range 11.0–12.75 Hz)
  • Self-evaluated health symptoms
  • Stroop colour word test performance during exposure
  • Sleep quality

Limitations

  • Small sample size (n=18)
  • Narrow age range (18–19 years)
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 1.6,
    "duration": "3.0 hr evening exposure (19:45–23:00) on two consecutive days; followed by 7.5 hr polysomnography"
  },
  "population": "18 subjects aged 18–19 years",
  "sample_size": 18,
  "outcomes": [
    "Self-evaluated sleepiness",
    "Sleep EEG architecture (sleep stages)",
    "EEG power spectrum (slow spindle range 11.0–12.75 Hz)",
    "Self-evaluated health symptoms",
    "Stroop colour word test performance during exposure",
    "Sleep quality"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a double-blind crossover study of UMTS 3G exposure (1,930–1,990 MHz; time-averaged 10 g SAR 1.6 W/kg), sleep stages did not differ between active and sham exposure. Power spectrum analyses showed reduced activity in the slow spindle range (11.0–12.75 Hz), while self-evaluated health symptoms, Stroop test performance, and sleep quality showed no differences.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Small sample size (n=18)",
    "Narrow age range (18–19 years)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "UMTS",
    "3G",
    "radiofrequency",
    "mobile phone",
    "sleep",
    "EEG",
    "polysomnography",
    "spindle activity",
    "double-blind",
    "crossover"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones-rf",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study tests RF exposure from 3G mobile phone signalling and sleep/EEG outcomes."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1111/jsr.12813
PubMed: Not supplied

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