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GSM base stations: Short-term effects on well-being.

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Augner C, Florian M, Pauser G, Oberfeld G, Hacker GW. · 2009

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Participants exposed to high or medium GSM base station signals reported feeling calmer than those in the low-exposure group, but mood and alertness were unaffected.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers examined the effects of short-term GSM base station radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on psychological symptoms including good mood, alertness, and calmness, as measured by a standardized well-being questionnaire. Fifty-seven participants were randomly assigned to one of three different exposure scenarios, each involving five 50-min exposure sessions. Participants in the high and medium exposure scenarios were significantly calmer than those in the low-exposure scenario (P = 0.042), though no significant differences were found for good mood or alertness. The researchers concluded that short-term exposure to GSM base station signals may have an impact on well-being by reducing psychological arousal.

Why This Matters

Shielding devices could be installed or removed during breaks between sessions so that double-blinded conditions prevailed. In scenario HM, the second session was high exposure and the fourth was medium; in scenario MH, the order was reversed. The researchers framed their conclusion cautiously, stating that exposure "may have an impact on well-being by reducing psychological arousal."

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.00000052, 0.00001536, 0.00021268 mW/cm²
Exposure Duration
Five 50-min exposure

Exposure Context

This study used 0.00000052, 0.00001536, 0.00021268 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.00000052, 0.00001536, 0.00021268 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Slight Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 1.92 million times higher than this level

Study Details

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of short-term GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cellular phone base station RF-EMF (radiofrequency electromagnetic fields) exposure on psychological symptoms (good mood, alertness, calmness) as measured by a standardized well-being questionnaire.

Fifty-seven participants were selected and randomly assigned to one of three different exposure scen...

Scenario LL had four successive “low” exposure sessions constituting the reference condition. Partic...

We conclude that short-term exposure to GSM base station signals may have an impact on well-being by reducing psychological arousal.

Cite This Study
Augner C, Florian M, Pauser G, Oberfeld G, Hacker GW. (2009). GSM base stations: Short-term effects on well-being. Bioelectromagnetics. 30:73-80, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2009_gsm_base_stations_shortterm_826,
  author = {Augner C and Florian M and Pauser G and Oberfeld G and Hacker GW.},
  title = {GSM base stations: Short-term effects on well-being.},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20447},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20447},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20447

Cited By (32 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

The overall median power flux densities were 5.2 µW/m2 during low, 153.6 µW/m2 during medium, and 2126.8 µW/m2 during high exposure sessions.
No significant differences between exposure scenarios were found for good mood or alertness.
Shielding devices were installed or removed during breaks between sessions so that double-blinded conditions prevailed.
Fifty-seven participants were selected and randomly assigned to one of three different exposure scenarios.
Participants in the high and medium exposure scenarios were significantly calmer than those in the low-exposure scenario (P = 0.042), and the researchers suggested that short-term exposure may have an impact on well-being by reducing psychological arousal.