Effects of the electromagnetic field of mobile telephones on hearing.

Acta oto-laryngologica · 2002 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 5300

Thirty volunteers with normal hearing were exposed to mobile telephone EMFs for 10 minutes; evoked OAEs were measured before and after exposure. No measurable change in evoked OAEs was detected and no subjects reported deterioration in hearing level.

Study snapshot

PublicationActa oto-laryngologica · 2002

Study typeother

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

The widespread use of mobile telephones has given rise to concern about the potential influences of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human health. Anatomically, the ear is in close proximity to the mobile telephone during use. Hearing loss due to mobile telephone use has not been described in the medical literature; however, if there is a subtle cochlear involvement, it might be detected by means of changes in evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Thirty volunteers with normal hearing were exposed to mobile telephone EMFs for 10 min and evoked OAEs were measured before and after exposure. No measurable change in evoked OAEs was detected and none of the subjects reported a deterioration in hearing level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the effects of EMFs emitted by mobile telephones on hearing. It was concluded that a 10-min exposure to the EMF emitted from a mobile telephone had no effect on hearing, at least at outer ear, middle ear and cochlear levels.

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 typeother

Effect directionno_effect

PopulationThirty volunteers with normal hearing

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 10 min

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)
Self-reported hearing deterioration

Limitations

Exposure characteristics (e.g., frequency, SAR) not reported in abstract
Short exposure duration (10 minutes)
Small sample size (30 volunteers)
Only pre/post OAE measures and self-report described; longer-term outcomes not assessed

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "other",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "10 min"
  },
  "population": "Thirty volunteers with normal hearing",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)",
    "Self-reported hearing deterioration"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Thirty volunteers with normal hearing were exposed to mobile telephone EMFs for 10 minutes; evoked OAEs were measured before and after exposure. No measurable change in evoked OAEs was detected and no subjects reported deterioration in hearing level.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure characteristics (e.g., frequency, SAR) not reported in abstract",
    "Short exposure duration (10 minutes)",
    "Small sample size (30 volunteers)",
    "Only pre/post OAE measures and self-report described; longer-term outcomes not assessed"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "mobile telephone",
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "RF exposure",
    "hearing",
    "otoacoustic emissions",
    "cochlea"
  ],
  "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: 10.1080/000164802753648178
PubMed: 12030576

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