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Cardiovascular

The cardiac effects of a mobile phone positioned closest to the heart.

No Effects Found

Tamer A, Gündüz H, Ozyildirim S · 2009

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Mobile phones placed directly on the chest showed no immediate heart effects in healthy adults during 30-minute exposure periods.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Turkish researchers tested whether mobile phones placed directly on the chest affect heart function in 24 healthy volunteers. They measured heart rate, blood pressure, and electrical activity of the heart when phones were off, on, and ringing. The study found no significant changes in any heart measurements, suggesting that mobile phones positioned near the heart do not immediately disrupt cardiac function in healthy adults.

Why This Matters

This study addresses a specific concern many people have about carrying phones in chest pockets near the heart. While the researchers found no immediate cardiac effects, the study has notable limitations that affect its broader implications. The 24-person sample size is quite small for detecting subtle effects, and the exposure duration was limited to 30 minutes. The reality is that many people carry phones near their hearts for hours daily, potentially at higher cumulative exposures than tested here. More importantly, this study only examined immediate effects in healthy adults. The science demonstrates that biological effects from EMF exposure often develop over longer timeframes and may be more pronounced in individuals with existing health conditions. What this means for you is that while this research is reassuring for short-term exposure, it doesn't address the long-term cardiovascular risks that warrant continued investigation.

Study Details

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of mobile phone (MP) on cardiac electrical activity by examining the heart rate variability (HRV), QT, P dispersions and blood pressure (BP) while the MP is located on the precordium.

A total of 24 healthy volunteers were included in this prospective study. In the first step; 12-lead...

There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the BP, heart rate, P-wave...

We conclude that MP has no effect on hemodynamic (heart rate, blood pressure) and cardiac electrical activity (P-wave and QT dispersions) parameters when it is positioned on the chest in immediate proximity to the heart, and it does not cause cardiac autonomic dysfunction examined by HRV analysis in healthy adult subjects.

Cite This Study
Tamer A, Gündüz H, Ozyildirim S (2009). The cardiac effects of a mobile phone positioned closest to the heart. Anadolu Kardiyol Derg. 9(5):380-384, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2009_the_cardiac_effects_of_3439,
  author = {Tamer A and Gündüz H and Ozyildirim S},
  title = {The cardiac effects of a mobile phone positioned closest to the heart.},
  year = {2009},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19819788/},
}
PubMed: 19819788

Cited By (28 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2009 Turkish study found no significant effects on heart function when mobile phones were placed directly on the chest. Researchers tested 24 healthy volunteers and measured heart rate, blood pressure, and electrical heart activity with phones off, on, and ringing, finding no changes in any cardiac measurements.
Research testing mobile phones positioned closest to the heart found no cardiac rhythm disruption. The 2009 study measured P-wave and QT dispersions (indicators of heart electrical activity) in healthy adults with phones on their chest and detected no significant differences in heart rhythm parameters.
Mobile phones positioned directly on the chest do not affect blood pressure, according to controlled research. Turkish scientists measured blood pressure in 24 volunteers with phones off, on, and ringing while placed over the heart area and found no statistically significant changes in blood pressure readings.
Mobile phones do not disrupt heart rate variability when positioned on the chest. A 2009 study specifically examined heart rate variability parameters as an indicator of cardiac autonomic function and concluded that phones placed in immediate proximity to the heart cause no cardiac autonomic dysfunction in healthy adults.
There are no immediate cardiac effects from mobile phones positioned closest to the heart in healthy adults. Research testing phones placed directly on participants' chests found no significant changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or electrical heart activity during phone use or ringing states.