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Psychomotor performance is not influenced by brief repeated exposures to mobile phones.

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Curcio G, Valentini E, Moroni F, Ferrara M, De Gennaro L, Bertini M · 2008

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Brief cell phone exposures at 0.5 W/kg SAR didn't impair motor skills, but effects from different signal types remain unknown.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 24 people to cell phone radiation (902.40 MHz at 0.5 W/kg SAR) for three 15-minute sessions and tested their reaction times and finger coordination after each exposure. They found no statistically significant effects on these motor skills, though there was a slight trend toward faster reaction times. The study suggests that brief, repeated cell phone exposures don't appear to impair basic motor performance.

Why This Matters

This study provides reassuring data about one specific aspect of cell phone exposure - that brief sessions don't appear to harm basic motor skills like reaction time or finger coordination. The 0.5 W/kg SAR level tested is actually lower than many modern smartphones, which can reach 1.6 W/kg in the US. However, the researchers themselves acknowledge a critical limitation: their findings only apply to these specific exposure conditions and signal characteristics. What this means for you is that while this particular study found no motor impairment, it doesn't address the broader picture of EMF health effects. The science on EMF and cognitive function remains mixed, with some studies showing effects on attention, memory, and other brain functions under different exposure conditions.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.5 W/kg
Source/Device
902.40 MHz, 217 Hz modulated
Exposure Duration
3- 15 minutes

Exposure Context

This study used 0.5 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: 0.5 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern rangeFCC limit is 3x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 217 Hz - 902.4 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 217 Hz - 902.4 MHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The present study investigated the presence of a cumulative effect of brief and repeated exposures to a GSM mobile phone (902.40 MHz, 217 Hz modulated; peak power of 2 W; average power of 0.25 W; SAR = 0.5 W/kg) on psychomotor functions.

To this end, after each of 3 15-min exposures, both an acoustic simple reaction time task (SRTT) and...

The present study was unable to detect the cumulative effects of brief and repeated EMF exposure on ...

In summary, these data show an absence of effects with these particular exposure conditions; however, possible cognitive effects induced by different signal characteristics cannot be excluded.

Cite This Study
Curcio G, Valentini E, Moroni F, Ferrara M, De Gennaro L, Bertini M (2008). Psychomotor performance is not influenced by brief repeated exposures to mobile phones. Bioelectromagnetics.29(3):237-241,2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2008_psychomotor_performance_is_not_914,
  author = {Curcio G and Valentini E and Moroni F and Ferrara M and De Gennaro L and Bertini M},
  title = {Psychomotor performance is not influenced by brief repeated exposures to mobile phones.},
  year = {2008},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18163437/},
}
PubMed: 18163437

Cited By (38 papers)

View all 38 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2008 study found no significant effects on reaction time after exposing 24 people to cell phone radiation for three 15-minute sessions. There was a slight trend toward faster reactions, but this wasn't statistically meaningful.
Research testing finger coordination and reaction times after brief cell phone exposures found no impairment in basic motor performance. The study suggests short-term mobile phone use doesn't affect these fundamental motor skills.
One study found no negative effects on psychomotor performance from brief cell phone exposures. However, researchers noted that different signal characteristics or longer exposures might produce different results requiring further investigation.
A controlled study found no detectable cognitive impairment from brief, repeated cell phone exposures. While this specific research showed no effects, scientists acknowledge that different exposure conditions could potentially impact cognition differently.
Testing finger coordination after cell phone radiation exposure revealed no significant effects on motor performance. The research suggests that brief EMF exposures don't appear to interfere with basic hand-eye coordination tasks.