Electromagnetic Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted from GSM Mobile Phones Decreases the Accuracy of Home Blood Glucose Monitors.

Journal of biomedical physics & engineering · 2014 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 4643

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of biomedical physics & engineering · 2014

Study typeother

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Mobile phones are two-way radios that emit electromagnetic radiation in microwave range. As the number of mobile phone users has reached 6 billion, the bioeffects of exposure to mobile phone radiation and mobile phone electromagnetic interference with electronic equipment have received more attention, globally. As self-monitoring of blood glucose can be a beneficial part of diabetes control, home blood glucose testing kits are very popular. The main goal of this study was to investigate if radiofrequency radiation emitted from a common GSM mobile phone can alter the accuracy of home blood glucose monitors. Forty five female nondiabetic students aged 17-20 years old participated in this study. For Control-EMF group (30 students), blood glucose concentration for each individual was measured in presence and absence of radiofrequency radiation emitted by a common GSM mobile phone (HTC touch, Diamond 2) while the phone was ringing. For Control- Repeat group (15 students), two repeated measurements were performed for each participant in the absence of electromagnetic fields. The magnitude of the changes between glucose levels in two repeated measurements (|ΔC|) in Control-Repeat group was 1.07 ± 0.88 mg/dl while this magnitude for Control-EMF group was 7.53 ± 4.76 mg/dl (P < 0.001, two-tailed test). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the electromagnetic interference in home blood glucose monitors. It can be concluded that electromagnetic interference from mobile phones has an adverse effect on the accuracy of home blood glucose monitors. We suggest that mobile phones should be used at least 50 cm away from home blood glucose monitors.

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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 typeother

Effect directionharm

PopulationFemale nondiabetic students aged 17–20 years

Sample size45

Exposuremicrowave · during ringing

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In the group measured with and without exposure to radiofrequency radiation from a ringing GSM mobile phone, the magnitude of change between paired glucose readings (|ΔC|) was 7.53 ± 4.76 mg/dl versus 1.07 ± 0.88 mg/dl in a repeat-measurement control group without EMF (P < 0.001). The authors conclude that electromagnetic interference from mobile phones adversely affects the accuracy of home blood glucose monitors and suggest keeping phones at least 50 cm away.

Outcomes measured

Accuracy/measurement variability of home blood glucose monitors (change between repeated glucose readings, |ΔC|, mg/dl)
Electromagnetic interference effects on home blood glucose monitors

Limitations

Frequency and SAR/exposure level not reported
Exposure condition limited to a single phone model and ringing state
Participants were nondiabetic female students (17–20 years), limiting generalizability
Outcome reflects measurement variability/interference rather than a health endpoint

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "during ringing"
  },
  "population": "Female nondiabetic students aged 17–20 years",
  "sample_size": 45,
  "outcomes": [
    "Accuracy/measurement variability of home blood glucose monitors (change between repeated glucose readings, |ΔC|, mg/dl)",
    "Electromagnetic interference effects on home blood glucose monitors"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In the group measured with and without exposure to radiofrequency radiation from a ringing GSM mobile phone, the magnitude of change between paired glucose readings (|ΔC|) was 7.53 ± 4.76 mg/dl versus 1.07 ± 0.88 mg/dl in a repeat-measurement control group without EMF (P < 0.001). The authors conclude that electromagnetic interference from mobile phones adversely affects the accuracy of home blood glucose monitors and suggest keeping phones at least 50 cm away.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Frequency and SAR/exposure level not reported",
    "Exposure condition limited to a single phone model and ringing state",
    "Participants were nondiabetic female students (17–20 years), limiting generalizability",
    "Outcome reflects measurement variability/interference rather than a health endpoint"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "GSM",
    "mobile phone",
    "radiofrequency radiation",
    "microwave",
    "electromagnetic interference",
    "home blood glucose monitor",
    "glucometer accuracy",
    "diabetes self-monitoring"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study tests RF emissions from a GSM mobile phone and interference effects."
    }
  ]
}

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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: Not supplied
PubMed: 25505778

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