Mobile antenna's impact on human health

2018 · Harm · Very low evidence

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HarmVery low evidencePaper 2016

This literature review reports that several studies found links between living near cellular antennas and various health complaints. It states that reviewed studies concluded cancer incidence was higher among people residing within 400 meters of mobile antenn…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typereview

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingVery low

Abstract

Mobile antenna's impact on human health Subhan F, Khan A, Ahmed S, Malik SN, Bakshah ST, Tahir S. Mobile antenna's and its impact on human health. J Medical Imaging and Health Informatics. 8(6):1266-1273. DOI: 10.1166/jmihi.2018.2296. Aug 2018. Abstract Mobile phones operate by communicating with a base station or cellular antennas. As mobile phone and its base station is a two way radio, they emit radio frequency radiation as a means of communication and hence can expose people near them to these radiations. Several research studies have found a link between cellular antennas and health effects on people living near antennas. These include cardiovascular problems, skin complaints, fatigue, sleep disturbance, memory loss, irritability, visual disruptions, hearing problems, depression, and dizziness. An extensive literature review was done to study the effect of mobile antennas on health including cancer. These studies concluded that incidence of cancer cases was remarkably higher among people who resided in 400 meters from mobile antennas, in comparison to those who lived further away. Females reported statistically more health complaints than males. Inhabitants living close to cellular antennas are also at increased risk for developing neuropsychiatric complaints. There are many proposed national and international criteria, for regulating and approving safety guidelines. All telecommunication companies should follow these safety standards. ingentaconnect.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

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 typereview

Effect directionharm

PopulationPeople living near mobile/cellular antennas (base stations)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthVery lowConfidence: 66% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

cardiovascular problems
skin complaints
fatigue
sleep disturbance
memory loss
irritability
visual disruptions
hearing problems
depression
dizziness
cancer incidence
neuropsychiatric complaints
sex differences in reported complaints

Limitations

No specific included-study details (designs, sample sizes, exposure metrics) are provided in the abstract.
No quantitative effect estimates or statistical details are reported in the abstract.
Exposure characterization is described generally (proximity to antennas) without frequency or dose metrics.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "base station",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "People living near mobile/cellular antennas (base stations)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "cardiovascular problems",
    "skin complaints",
    "fatigue",
    "sleep disturbance",
    "memory loss",
    "irritability",
    "visual disruptions",
    "hearing problems",
    "depression",
    "dizziness",
    "cancer incidence",
    "neuropsychiatric complaints",
    "sex differences in reported complaints"
  ],
  "main_findings": "This literature review reports that several studies found links between living near cellular antennas and various health complaints. It states that reviewed studies concluded cancer incidence was higher among people residing within 400 meters of mobile antennas compared with those living farther away, and that females reported more health complaints than males.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No specific included-study details (designs, sample sizes, exposure metrics) are provided in the abstract.",
    "No quantitative effect estimates or statistical details are reported in the abstract.",
    "Exposure characterization is described generally (proximity to antennas) without frequency or dose metrics."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "very_low",
  "confidence": 0.66,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile antenna",
    "cellular antenna",
    "base station",
    "radiofrequency radiation",
    "proximity",
    "health complaints",
    "cancer",
    "neuropsychiatric",
    "sleep disturbance",
    "fatigue",
    "safety guidelines"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.38,
      "reason": "Discusses national/international safety criteria and guidelines for RF exposure from telecom infrastructure."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: 10.1166/jmihi.2018.2296
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

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