Mobile phone use, blood lead levels, and attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms in children: a longitudinal study

PLoS One · 2013 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2262

Mobile phone use for voice calls was associated with increased ADHD symptom risk, but only in children with relatively high blood lead levels. The study suggests simultaneous exposure to lead and RF from mobile phone use may increase ADHD symptom risk, though…

Study snapshot

PublicationPLoS One · 2013

Study typecohort

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Mobile phone use, blood lead levels, and attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms in children: a longitudinal study Byun YH, Ha M, Kwon HJ, Hong YC, Leem JH, Sakong J, Kim SY, Lee CG, Kang D, Choi HD, Kim N. Mobile phone use, blood lead levels, and attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms in children: a longitudinal study. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e59742. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059742. Abstract BACKGROUND: Concerns have developed for the possible negative health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure to children's brains. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the association between mobile phone use and symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) considering the modifying effect of lead exposure. METHODS: A total of 2,422 children at 27 elementary schools in 10 Korean cities were examined and followed up 2 years later. Parents or guardians were administered a questionnaire including the Korean version of the ADHD rating scale and questions about mobile phone use, as well as socio-demographic factors. The ADHD symptom risk for mobile phone use was estimated at two time points using logistic regression and combined over 2 years using the generalized estimating equation model with repeatedly measured variables of mobile phone use, blood lead, and ADHD symptoms, adjusted for covariates. RESULTS: The ADHD symptom risk associated with mobile phone use for voice calls but the association was limited to children exposed to relatively high lead. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that simultaneous exposure to lead and RF from mobile phone use was associated with increased ADHD symptom risk, although possible reverse causality could not be ruled out. Open Access Paper: journals.plos.org

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 typecohort

Effect directionmixed

Populationchildren in 27 elementary schools in 10 Korean cities

Sample size2422

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 40% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms

Limitations

Possible reverse causality could not be ruled out
Exposure assessment based on parent/guardian questionnaire
No direct measurement of RF exposure levels

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "children in 27 elementary schools in 10 Korean cities",
  "sample_size": 2422,
  "outcomes": [
    "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Mobile phone use for voice calls was associated with increased ADHD symptom risk, but only in children with relatively high blood lead levels. The study suggests simultaneous exposure to lead and RF from mobile phone use may increase ADHD symptom risk, though reverse causality cannot be ruled out.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Possible reverse causality could not be ruled out",
    "Exposure assessment based on parent/guardian questionnaire",
    "No direct measurement of RF exposure levels"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.4,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile phone",
    "RF-EMF",
    "children",
    "ADHD",
    "blood lead levels",
    "longitudinal study"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.3,
      "reason": "Study involves lead exposure which is often occupational/environmental"
    },
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Study involves mobile phone RF exposure relevant to RF exposure policy"
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059742
PubMed: Not supplied

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