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Brain & Nervous System

Effects of chronic exposure of electromagnetic fields from mobile phones on hearing in rats.

No Effects Found

Kizilay A, Ozturan O, Erdem T, Tayyar Kalcioglu M, Cem Miman M. · 2003

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Thirty days of one-hour daily mobile phone EMF exposure caused no detectable hearing damage in rats.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Turkish researchers exposed rats to mobile phone electromagnetic fields for one hour daily over 30 days to test whether this would damage their hearing. Using sensitive hearing tests called distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), they found no measurable hearing damage in either adult rats or developing newborn rats. The study suggests that chronic mobile phone EMF exposure at these levels does not impair hearing function in the outer ear, middle ear, or cochlea (the main hearing organ).

Why This Matters

This study addresses an important practical concern - whether holding phones to our ears during calls could damage our hearing over time. While the researchers found no hearing damage from 30 days of one-hour daily exposure, several factors limit what we can conclude. The study doesn't specify the exact EMF levels used, making it difficult to compare with real-world phone usage. Additionally, 30 days represents relatively short-term exposure compared to decades of phone use many people accumulate. The science demonstrates that EMF effects can be subtle and may require longer exposure periods or more sensitive detection methods to observe. What this means for you is that while this study provides some reassurance about hearing safety, it shouldn't be considered definitive proof that mobile phone EMF poses no risk to auditory function over extended periods.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 1-h 30 days

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to EMF emitting from mobile phones on the inner ear of adult and developing rats using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs).

EMF of mobile phones exposure was scheduled according to a sham-exposure controlled experimental des...

No measurable EMF associated changes in DPOAEs either in adult or developing rat inner ears were det...

It was concluded that chronic exposure of EMF, as long as 30 days 1 h per day, emitting from a mobile phone did not cause any hearing deterioration in adult and developing rats, at least at outer and middle ear and cochlear levels.

Cite This Study
Kizilay A, Ozturan O, Erdem T, Tayyar Kalcioglu M, Cem Miman M. (2003). Effects of chronic exposure of electromagnetic fields from mobile phones on hearing in rats. Auris Nasus Larynx. 30(3):239-245, 2003.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2003_effects_of_chronic_exposure_3143,
  author = {Kizilay A and Ozturan O and Erdem T and Tayyar Kalcioglu M and Cem Miman M.},
  title = {Effects of chronic exposure of electromagnetic fields from mobile phones on hearing in rats.},
  year = {2003},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12927285/},
}
PubMed: 12927285

Cited By (48 papers)

View all 48 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2003 Turkish study found that exposing rats to mobile phone electromagnetic fields for one hour daily over 30 days caused no measurable hearing damage. Sensitive hearing tests showed no impairment in the outer ear, middle ear, or cochlea in either adult or developing rats.
Research by Kizilay and colleagues found that 30 days of daily mobile phone EMF exposure did not impair hearing development in newborn rats. Using distortion product otoacoustic emissions tests, researchers detected no hearing damage in developing rat inner ears compared to unexposed controls.
Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are sensitive hearing tests that measure how well the inner ear responds to sound. A 2003 rat study using DPOAE testing found no hearing deterioration from chronic mobile phone electromagnetic field exposure lasting 30 days.
A controlled study exposing rats to mobile phone electromagnetic fields for one hour daily over 30 days found no damage to cochlear function. Researchers concluded that this chronic EMF exposure pattern did not cause hearing deterioration at the cochlear level in either adult or developing rats.
Turkish researchers found that extended mobile phone EMF exposure (30 consecutive days, one hour daily) caused no hearing damage in rats. The study tested both adult and developing rats using sensitive hearing assessments and detected no measurable changes in auditory function.