Changes in tympanic temperature during the exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phone.
Bortkiewicz A, Gadzicka E, Szymczak W, Zmyślony M. · 2012
View Original AbstractCell phone heating effects depend on usage pattern: continuous calls raise ear temperature while intermittent use lowers it.
Plain English Summary
Polish researchers measured ear temperature in 10 young men during different patterns of cell phone exposure at 900 MHz. They found that continuous phone use for one hour raised ear temperature, while intermittent use (15 minutes on, 15 minutes off) actually lowered it compared to no exposure. The temperature changes persisted for hours after exposure ended, suggesting the body's response depends heavily on how EMF exposure is delivered.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something crucial that most EMF research overlooks: the pattern of exposure matters as much as the intensity. The researchers found that continuous cell phone use at SAR levels of 1.23 W/kg (well within current safety limits) produced measurable heating effects, while intermittent exposure had the opposite effect. What this means for you is that taking breaks during long phone calls isn't just good for your neck - it may actually help your body manage EMF exposure more effectively. The science demonstrates that our biological systems respond differently to continuous versus pulsed EMF exposure, yet current safety standards largely ignore these timing factors. The reality is that most people use their phones intermittently throughout the day, but when we do have long conversations, we're typically holding the device against our head continuously - exactly the exposure pattern this study shows produces the most pronounced heating effects.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.23 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1. on a day with 2×60 min of no exposure (sham day), 2. on a day with continuous, 60 min exposure and 60 min of no exposure, 3. on a day with intermittent exposure (4×15 min "on" and 4×15 min "off").
Exposure Context
This study used 1.23 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3.1x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of the experiment was to check if exposure to EMF emitted by mobile phone influenced the tympanic temperature.
Human volunteer study was performed on ten healthy young men, aged 22.1±4.7 years, examined three ti...
The mean T(ty) in the whole group during continuous exposure was significantly higher than during sh...
The results of this analysis indicate that the physiological response to EMF exposure from mobile phone was mostly related to type of exposure (continuous or intermittent).
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2012_changes_in_tympanic_temperature_871,
author = {Bortkiewicz A and Gadzicka E and Szymczak W and Zmyślony M.},
title = {Changes in tympanic temperature during the exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phone.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22411069/},
}