6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Brain & Nervous System

Effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM 900 and WCDMA mobile phones on cognitive function in young male subjects

No Effects Found

Sauter C, Dorn H, Bahr A, Hansen ML, Peter A, Bajbouj M, Danker-Hopfe H · 2011

View Original Abstract
Share:

Extended mobile phone radiation exposure showed no cognitive effects in healthy men, suggesting typical phone use doesn't impair mental performance.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers exposed 30 young men to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz and 1,966 MHz) for over 7 hours daily for three days, then tested their cognitive abilities including attention, memory, and vigilance. After accounting for natural daily variations in mental performance, they found no significant effects from either type of phone radiation on any cognitive function tested.

Why This Matters

This study provides reassuring evidence that extended mobile phone radiation exposure doesn't impair cognitive performance, at least in the short term. The researchers used realistic phone frequencies (GSM 900 and WCDMA) at exposure levels comparable to actual phone use, making their findings practically relevant. What's particularly noteworthy is their rigorous methodology - they controlled for time-of-day effects, which many earlier studies failed to do adequately. The reality is that some previous research claiming cognitive effects from phone radiation may have been confounded by natural daily fluctuations in mental performance. While this single study doesn't definitively settle the cognitive effects debate, it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that acute RF exposure at typical phone levels doesn't significantly impair thinking abilities in healthy adults.

Exposure Details

SAR
7.82 and 10.98 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz and 1,966 MHz
Exposure Duration
3 days (à 7 h 15 minutes)

Exposure Context

This study used 7.82 and 10.98 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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: 7.82 and 10.98 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 5 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz - 1.97 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHz - 1.97 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

Results of studies on the possible effects of electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones on cognitive functions are contradictory, therefore, possible effects of long‐term (7 h 15 min) electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure to handset‐like signals of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 900 and Wideband Code‐Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) on attention and working memory were studied.

The sample comprised 30 healthy male subjects (mean ± SD: 25.3 ± 2.6 years), who were tested on nine...

Time‐of‐day effects were evident for the tests on divided and selective attention, as well as for wo...

The results of the present study do not provide any evidence of an EMF effect on human cognition, but they underline the necessity to control for time of day.

Cite This Study
Sauter C, Dorn H, Bahr A, Hansen ML, Peter A, Bajbouj M, Danker-Hopfe H (2011). Effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM 900 and WCDMA mobile phones on cognitive function in young male subjects Bioelectromagnetics. 32(3):179-190, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2011_effects_of_exposure_to_2804,
  author = {Sauter C and Dorn H and Bahr A and Hansen ML and Peter A and Bajbouj M and Danker-Hopfe H},
  title = {Effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by GSM 900 and WCDMA mobile phones on cognitive function in young male subjects},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20623},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20623},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20623

Cited By (41 papers)

View all 41 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

German researchers exposed 30 young men to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz and 1,966 MHz) for over 7 hours daily for three days and found no significant effects on cognitive function. Tests measured attention, memory, and vigilance with no impairment from either frequency type.
A 2011 study found no cognitive impairment from WCDMA 1966 MHz radiation exposure. After controlling for natural daily performance variations, researchers detected no significant effects on divided attention, selective attention, working memory, or vigilance in young male subjects.
Research comparing GSM 900 MHz and WCDMA 1966 MHz phone radiation found no difference in cognitive effects between the two technologies. Neither frequency significantly impacted attention, memory, or vigilance performance after accounting for natural time-of-day variations in mental function.
A controlled study exposed participants to phone radiation for over 7 hours daily for three consecutive days without finding cognitive impairment. However, this represents intensive laboratory exposure and doesn't establish long-term safety limits for typical phone use patterns.
The 2011 Sauter study found that natural daily rhythms significantly affected cognitive test performance, with faster reaction times in afternoon trials. This highlights why EMF research must control for circadian variations to avoid confusing natural performance changes with radiation effects.