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Effects of Exposure to GSM mobile phone base station signals on salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and Immunoglobulin A.

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Augner C, Hacker GW, Oberfeld G, Florian M, Hitzl W, Hutter J, Pauser G. · 2010

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Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations was associated with changes in cortisol and alpha-amylase, while IgA was not significantly affected.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested whether RF-EMF emitted by mobile phone base stations may affect salivary alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A, and cortisol levels. Fifty-seven participants were randomly allocated to one of three experimental scenarios, and each participant went through five 50-minute exposure sessions. When exposure shifted from low to high in scenario 3, an increase of cortisol was detected, and IgA concentration was not significantly related to the exposure. The researchers suggested that RF-EMF in considerably lower field densities than ICNIRP guidelines may influence certain psychobiological stress markers.

Why This Matters

Saliva samples were collected three times per session to measure the biomedical parameters. Low exposure sessions had a median power flux density of 5.2 microW/m², while high exposure sessions reached 2126.8 microW/m². In scenarios 1 and 2, alpha-amylase concentration relative to baseline was higher compared to scenario 3. Exposure levels were created by shielding curtains, with the main RF-EMF source being an antenna located at the outer wall of the building.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.00000052, 0.00001536, 0.00021268 mW/cm²
Source/Device
900-MHz

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
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The present study aimed to test whether exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phone base stations may have effects on salivary alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A (IgA), and cortisol levels.

Fifty seven participants were randomly allocated to one of three different experimental scenarios (2...

In scenario 3 from session 4 to session 5 (from "low" to "high" exposure), an increase of cortisol w...

RF-EMF in considerably lower field densities than ICNIRP-guidelines may influence certain psychobiological stress markers.

Cite This Study
Augner C, Hacker GW, Oberfeld G, Florian M, Hitzl W, Hutter J, Pauser G. (2010). Effects of Exposure to GSM mobile phone base station signals on salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and Immunoglobulin A. Biomed Environ Sci. 23(3):199-207, 2010.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2010_effects_of_exposure_to_827,
  author = {Augner C and Hacker GW and Oberfeld G and Florian M and Hitzl W and Hutter J and Pauser G.},
  title = {Effects of Exposure to GSM mobile phone base station signals on salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and Immunoglobulin A.},
  year = {2010},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20708499/},
}
PubMed: 20708499

Cited By (51 papers)

View all 51 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The study measured salivary alpha-amylase, immunoglobulin A, and cortisol levels.
In scenario 3, when exposure shifted from low to high between sessions 4 and 5, an increase of cortisol was detected.
IgA concentration was not significantly related to the exposure.
Exposure levels were created by shielding curtains.
The researchers suggested that RF-EMF in considerably lower field densities than ICNIRP guidelines may influence certain psychobiological stress markers.