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

Brain & Nervous System

Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response

No Effects Found

Stefanics G, Kellényi L, Molnár F, Kubinyi G, Thuróczy G, Hernádi I. · 2007

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Ten minutes of cell phone radiation at typical usage levels caused no immediate changes in brain hearing pathways.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested whether 10 minutes of cell phone radiation affects how quickly the brain processes sound by measuring auditory brainstem responses (electrical signals from the hearing pathway to the brain) in 30 healthy young adults. They found no measurable changes in brain response timing after exposure to 900 MHz radiation from a Nokia phone at typical usage levels. This suggests short-term phone calls don't immediately disrupt the brain's basic hearing functions.

Why This Matters

This study provides reassuring evidence that brief cell phone exposure doesn't immediately affect the auditory brainstem, a critical pathway for processing sound. The 0.41 W/kg SAR level tested falls within typical phone usage ranges, making these findings relevant to everyday exposure scenarios. However, this research has important limitations. The study only examined immediate effects after 10 minutes of exposure and focused on a very specific neurological function. The reality is that most concerns about cell phone radiation center on long-term, cumulative effects rather than acute changes. What this means for you is that while your brain's hearing pathways appear resilient to short bursts of phone radiation, this single study doesn't address the broader questions about chronic exposure that drive most EMF health concerns.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.41 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz Mobile Phone
Exposure Duration
10 min

Exposure Context

This study used 0.41 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: 0.41 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 4 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 aim of the present study was to advance our understanding of potential adverse effects of the GSM mobile phones on the human hearing system.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was recorded with three non-polarizing Ag-AgCl scalp electrodes in...

Paired sample t-test was conducted for statistical analysis. Results revealed no significant differe...

The present results suggest that, in our experimental conditions, a single 10 minute exposure of 900 MHz EMF emitted by a commercial mobile phone does not produce measurable immediate effects in the latency of auditory brainstem waves I, III and V

Cite This Study
Stefanics G, Kellényi L, Molnár F, Kubinyi G, Thuróczy G, Hernádi I. (2007). Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response BMC Public Health. 7:325, 2007.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2007_short_gsm_mobile_phone_2808,
  author = {Stefanics G and Kellényi L and Molnár F and Kubinyi G and Thuróczy G and Hernádi I.},
  title = {Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response},
  year = {2007},
  doi = {10.1186/1471-2458-7-325},
  url = {https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-7-325},
}
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-325

Cited By (47 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, 10 minutes of 900 MHz cell phone exposure does not affect auditory brainstem response. A 2007 study of 30 healthy adults found no measurable changes in brain response timing after Nokia phone exposure, suggesting short calls don't immediately disrupt basic hearing functions.
Nokia 900 MHz phones do not change how fast your brain processes sound during short exposures. Research measured electrical signals from the hearing pathway to the brain and found no differences in processing speed after 10 minutes of typical phone use.
Auditory brainstem waves do not change immediately after cell phone exposure. Scientists measured waves I, III and V before and after 10 minutes of 900 MHz radiation exposure and found no significant differences in timing or response patterns.
900 MHz GSM radiation appears safe for auditory nerve function during short exposures. A controlled study found no measurable immediate effects on auditory brainstem response latency, indicating the brain's basic hearing pathways remain unaffected by brief phone calls.
Brief cell phone radiation exposure does not affect hearing pathway timing. Researchers used paired statistical analysis to compare brain responses before and after 10 minutes of 900 MHz exposure, finding no significant changes in auditory processing speed.