Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response.

BMC public health · 2007 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 5043

In a double-blind, counterbalanced genuine vs sham exposure design, there were no statistically significant differences in ABR wave I, III, or V latencies before versus immediately after 10 minutes of 900 MHz mobile-phone EMF exposure.

Study snapshot

PublicationBMC public health · 2007

Study typerandomized_trial

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are about 1.6 billion GSM cellular phones in use throughout the world today. Numerous papers have reported various biological effects in humans exposed to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones. The aim of the present study was to advance our understanding of potential adverse effects of the GSM mobile phones on the human hearing system. METHODS: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was recorded with three non-polarizing Ag-AgCl scalp electrodes in thirty young and healthy volunteers (age 18-26 years) with normal hearing. ABR data were collected before, and immediately after a 10 minute exposure to 900 MHz pulsed electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by a commercial Nokia 6310 mobile phone. Fifteen subjects were exposed to genuine EMF and fifteen to sham EMF in a double blind and counterbalanced order. Possible effects of irradiation was analyzed by comparing the latency of ABR waves I, III and V before and after genuine/sham EMF exposure. RESULTS: Paired sample t-test was conducted for statistical analysis. Results revealed no significant differences in the latency of ABR waves I, III and V before and after 10 minutes of genuine/sham EMF exposure. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that, in our experimental conditions, a single 10 minute exposure of 900 MHz EMF emitted by a commercial mobile phone does not produce measurable immediate effects in the latency of auditory brainstem waves I, III and V.

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 typerandomized_trial

Effect directionno_effect

PopulationThirty young healthy volunteers (age 18–26) with normal hearing

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 10 minutes (single exposure; assessed immediately after)

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) wave latency (waves I, III, V)

Limitations

Only immediate (post-exposure) effects were assessed
Short, single exposure duration (10 minutes)
Young, healthy participants with normal hearing; generalizability to other groups is unclear
Outcome limited to ABR wave latency (waves I, III, V)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "randomized_trial",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "10 minutes (single exposure; assessed immediately after)"
  },
  "population": "Thirty young healthy volunteers (age 18–26) with normal hearing",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) wave latency (waves I, III, V)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a double-blind, counterbalanced genuine vs sham exposure design, there were no statistically significant differences in ABR wave I, III, or V latencies before versus immediately after 10 minutes of 900 MHz mobile-phone EMF exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Only immediate (post-exposure) effects were assessed",
    "Short, single exposure duration (10 minutes)",
    "Young, healthy participants with normal hearing; generalizability to other groups is unclear",
    "Outcome limited to ABR wave latency (waves I, III, V)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "GSM",
    "mobile phone",
    "900 MHz",
    "RF EMF",
    "auditory brainstem response",
    "ABR",
    "hearing",
    "double blind",
    "sham exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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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: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-325
PubMed: 17997856

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