Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Physiological effects of RF exposure on hypersensitive people by a cell phone med./bio.

By: Kim DW, Lee JH, Ji HC, Kim SC, Nam KC, Cha EJ

Published in: 2008 30th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Vancouver, BC, Canada. IEEE, 2008: 2322-2325; ISBN 978-1-4244-1814-5

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Aim of study (acc. to author)

To investigate the effects of radio frequency exposure with a CDMA cellular phone on autonomic changes (e.g. heart rate) in an electromagnetic hypersensitivity group and whether electromagnetic hypersensitivity resulted from autonomic changes.

Background/further details

18 electromagnetic hypersensitivity volunteers (8 males) and 19 normal volunteers (10 males) were exposed and sham-exposed during two days in randomized order. Physiological data were collected at four different times: during rest, after 15 min continuous exposure, after 31 min continuous exposure, 10 min after exposure termination.

Endpoint

effects on the cardiovascular system: pulse rate, heart rate variability, heart rate
respiratory rate

Exposure

- CDMA
- mobile communications
- mobile phone

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 824.64–848.37 MHz Exposure duration: continuous for 31 min	power: 300 mW SAR: 1.6 W/kg

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	824.64–848.37 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	continuous for 31 min

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone
Setup	folder-type CDMA phone attached to the left side of a headphone, lower part of the phone wrapped with 5 mm thick insulating material, phone set to test mode
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
power	300 mW	-	-	-	-
SAR	1.6 W/kg	-	-	-	-

Exposed system:

human
partial body: head

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

effects on the cardiovascular system: pulse rate, heart rate variability, heart rate (first 5 min of each recording)
thermoregulation: facial skin temperature (first 5 min of each recording)
hypersensitivity/subjective complaints: subjective symptoms: redness, itching, burning, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, palpitation, indigestion (oral survey, four-point scale, during the measurement of the physiological variables); perception of radio frequency exposure (every five minutes; question: "Do you feel the electromagnetic field?")
respiratory rate (first 5 min of each recording)

Investigated system:

investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

Time of investigation:

during exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The radio frequency exposure by a CDMA cellular phone did not have any effects on the physiological parameters for both groups. Regarding the subjective symptoms, both groups did not significantly differ between real and sham exposure. The perception accuracy of the exposure and sham exposure for the electromagnetic hypersensitivity group was 42.2 % and 73.9% and for the control group 3.0% and 95.1%.
The results on perception accuracy could be attributable to the fact that many subjects in the electromagnetic hypersensitivity group answered "Yes" to the question "Do you feel the electromagnetic field?" because they thought as if they could feel the electromagnetic field.In contrast, the control group revealed higher accuracy in perception to the non-exposure because they considered themselves that they could not feel electromagentic fields.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study

Study funded by

Korea Science and Engineering Foundation
Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Korea

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