Individual variation in temporal relationships between RF exposure & physical symptoms: A new approach in studying 'electrosensitivity'

2018 · Mixed · Very low evidence

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MixedVery low evidencePaper 2017

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeother

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingVery low

Abstract

Individual variation in temporal relationships between RF exposure & physical symptoms: A new approach in studying 'electrosensitivity' Bogers RP, van Gils A, Clahsen SCS, Vercruijsse W, van Kamp I, Baliatsas C, Rosmalen JGM, Bolte JFB. Individual variation in temporal relationships between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-specific physical symptoms: A new approach in studying 'electrosensitivity'. Environ Int. 2018 Sep 15;121(Pt 1):297-307. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.08.064. Abstract BACKGROUND: Everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted from wireless devices such as mobile phones and base stations, radio and television transmitters is ubiquitous. Some people attribute non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) such as headache and fatigue to exposure to RF-EMF. Most previous laboratory studies or studies that analyzed populations at a group level did not find evidence of an association between RF-EMF exposure and NSPS. OBJECTIVES: We explored the association between exposure to RF-EMF in daily life and the occurrence of NSPS in individual self-declared electrohypersensitive persons using body worn exposimeters and electronic diaries. METHODS: We selected seven individuals who attributed their NSPS to RF-EMF exposure. The level of and variability in personal RF-EMF exposure and NSPS were determined during a three-week period. Data were analyzed using time series analysis in which exposure as measured and recorded in the diary was correlated with NSPS. RESULTS: We found statistically significant correlations between perceived and actual exposure to wireless internet (WiFi - rate of change and number of peaks above threshold) and base stations for mobile telecommunications (GSM + UMTS downlink, rate of change) and NSPS scores in four of the seven participants. In two persons a higher EMF exposure was associated with higher symptom scores, and in two other persons it was associated with lower scores. Remarkably, we found no significant correlations between NSPS and time- weighted average power density, the most commonly used exposure metric. CONCLUSIONS: RF-EMF exposure was associated either positively or negatively with NSPS in some but not all of the selected self-declared electrohypersensitive persons. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

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Study typeother

Effect directionmixed

PopulationSeven self-declared electrohypersensitive persons

Sample size7

ExposureRF · three-week period

Evidence strengthVery lowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using time series analyses, statistically significant correlations between NSPS scores and perceived/actual exposure metrics for WiFi (rate of change; number of peaks above threshold) and mobile telecom base stations (GSM+UMTS downlink; rate of change) were observed in 4 of 7 participants. Direction differed by individual (higher exposure associated with higher symptoms in 2 participants and with lower symptoms in 2 participants). No significant correlations were found between NSPS and time-weighted average power density.

Outcomes measured

Non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) scores (e.g., headache, fatigue)

Limitations

Very small sample size (n=7)
Findings varied across individuals (associations present in some but not all participants)
No significant association with time-weighted average power density (commonly used exposure metric)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "personal exposure in daily life (wireless devices; WiFi; mobile telecom base stations GSM/UMTS downlink)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "three-week period"
  },
  "population": "Seven self-declared electrohypersensitive persons",
  "sample_size": 7,
  "outcomes": [
    "Non-specific physical symptoms (NSPS) scores (e.g., headache, fatigue)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using time series analyses, statistically significant correlations between NSPS scores and perceived/actual exposure metrics for WiFi (rate of change; number of peaks above threshold) and mobile telecom base stations (GSM+UMTS downlink; rate of change) were observed in 4 of 7 participants. Direction differed by individual (higher exposure associated with higher symptoms in 2 participants and with lower symptoms in 2 participants). No significant correlations were found between NSPS and time-weighted average power density.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Very small sample size (n=7)",
    "Findings varied across individuals (associations present in some but not all participants)",
    "No significant association with time-weighted average power density (commonly used exposure metric)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "very_low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "RF-EMF",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
    "electrosensitivity",
    "electrohypersensitivity",
    "non-specific physical symptoms",
    "headache",
    "fatigue",
    "WiFi",
    "GSM",
    "UMTS",
    "base stations",
    "personal exposimeter",
    "electronic diary",
    "time series analysis",
    "power density"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Includes WiFi exposure metrics (wireless internet) in daily-life monitoring."
    },
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0,
      "reason": null
    }
  ]
}

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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.2018.08.064
PubMed: Not supplied

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