Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations
Abdel-Rassoul G, El-Fateh OA, Salem MA, Michael A, Farahat F, El-Batanouny M, Salem E · 2007
View Original AbstractLiving near cell towers significantly increased neuropsychiatric symptoms even at radiation levels below current safety standards.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied 85 people living near Egypt's first mobile phone base station and compared them to 80 people living farther away. Those living closest to the tower showed significantly higher rates of headaches (23.5% vs 10%), memory problems (28.2% vs 5%), dizziness, depression, and sleep disturbances, plus measurable changes in cognitive test performance. This suggests that even low-level radiofrequency radiation from cell towers may affect brain function and neurological health.
Why This Matters
This Egyptian study provides important real-world evidence that living near cell towers can affect neurological health, even when radiation levels fall below current safety standards. The researchers found exposure levels were 'less than the allowable standard level,' yet residents still experienced significantly higher rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms and measurable cognitive changes. What makes this study particularly valuable is its use of standardized neurobehavioral tests that revealed both impaired performance in memory and attention tasks, as well as some enhanced performance in other areas. The science demonstrates that our current safety standards, based solely on heating effects, may not adequately protect against the subtle but measurable neurological impacts of chronic low-level RF exposure. This research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that proximity to wireless infrastructure can affect human health in ways our regulatory agencies haven't fully considered.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: Mobile phone base stations
Study Details
To identify the possible neurobehavioral deficits among inhabitants living nearby mobile phone base stations
A cross-sectional study was conducted on (85) inhabitants living nearby the first mobile phone stati...
The prevalence of neuropsychiatric complaints as headache (23.5%), memory changes (28.2%), dizziness...
Inhabitants living nearby mobile phone base stations are at risk for developing neuropsychiatric problems and some changes in the performance of neurobehavioral functions either by facilitation or inhibition. So, revision of standard guidelines for public exposure to RER from mobile phone base station antennas and using of NBTB for regular assessment and early detection of biological effects among inhabitants around the stations are recommended.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2007_neurobehavioral_effects_among_inhabitants_1486,
author = {Abdel-Rassoul G and El-Fateh OA and Salem MA and Michael A and Farahat F and El-Batanouny M and Salem E},
title = {Neurobehavioral effects among inhabitants around mobile phone base stations},
year = {2007},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X06001835},
}