Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Cell Phone Use and Behavioral Problems in Children
Divan HA, Kheifets L, Obel C, Olsen J · 2008
View Original AbstractChildren exposed to cell phones before and after birth showed 80% higher odds of behavioral problems by school age.
Plain English Summary
Danish researchers tracked 13,000 children from pregnancy through age 7, finding those exposed to cell phones both before and after birth had 80% higher odds of behavioral problems like hyperactivity. The findings raise public health concerns given widespread cell phone use.
Why This Matters
This large-scale Danish study adds crucial evidence to our understanding of EMF effects on developing brains. The 80% increased odds of behavioral problems represents a substantial association that shouldn't be dismissed lightly, especially when we consider that children's developing nervous systems are particularly vulnerable to environmental influences. What makes this research particularly significant is its real-world relevance - it examined actual cell phone use patterns rather than laboratory exposures, and followed children for seven years to assess meaningful behavioral outcomes. The researchers' honest acknowledgment that the association 'may be noncausal' reflects good scientific practice, but it doesn't diminish the importance of these findings. The reality is that pregnant women and young children today face unprecedented levels of wireless radiation exposure compared to any previous generation.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: Cell Phones
Study Details
We examined the association between prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phones and behavioral problems in young children.
Mothers were recruited to the Danish National Birth Cohort early in pregnancy. When the children of ...
Mothers of 13,159 children completed the follow-up questionnaire reporting their use of cell phones ...
Exposure to cell phones prenatally—and, to a lesser degree, postnatally—was associated with behavioral difficulties such as emotional and hyperactivity problems around the age of school entry. These associations may be noncausal and may be due to unmeasured confounding. If real, they would be of public health concern given the widespread use of this technology
Show BibTeX
@article{ha_2008_prenatal_and_postnatal_exposure_1491,
author = {Divan HA and Kheifets L and Obel C and Olsen J},
title = {Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Cell Phone Use and Behavioral Problems in Children},
year = {2008},
url = {https://www.jstor.org/stable/25662578?seq=1},
}