Acute effects of using a mobile phone on CNS functions.
Hladky, A, Musil, J, Roth, Z, Urban, P, Blazkova, V · 1999
View Original AbstractPhone conversations impair driving-related cognitive tasks through distraction, not electromagnetic field exposure to the brain.
Plain English Summary
Czech researchers tested 20 volunteers using a Motorola GSM phone to see if electromagnetic fields affected brain function during phone calls. They found that the electromagnetic fields themselves didn't impair memory, attention, or visual processing. However, the act of talking on the phone significantly slowed reaction times and decision-making in a driving simulation test, suggesting the cognitive distraction of phone conversations poses real safety risks.
Why This Matters
This 1999 study provides an important distinction often overlooked in EMF research: separating the biological effects of electromagnetic radiation from the cognitive effects of device use. While the researchers found no measurable impact from the phone's electromagnetic fields on brain function tests, they documented significant impairment in attention-switching tasks that mirror real-world driving scenarios. What this means for you is that the safety concerns around phone use while driving aren't necessarily about EMF exposure to your brain, but rather the fundamental cognitive load of managing a conversation while performing complex tasks. The study's focus on psychological stress as a measurable factor also highlights how our modern relationship with wireless technology creates multiple pathways for health impacts beyond just electromagnetic exposure.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Acute effects of using a mobile phone on CNS functions.
Twenty volunteers participated in two experiments exploring the acute effects of using the mobile ph...
When speaking (5 minutes reading a text from daily newspapers) the electromagnetic fields from the m...
This is a proof that even a slight psychological stress involved in calling while driving can be a great risk.
Show BibTeX
@article{hladky_1999_acute_effects_of_using_2195,
author = {Hladky and A and Musil and J and Roth and Z and Urban and P and Blazkova and V},
title = {Acute effects of using a mobile phone on CNS functions.},
year = {1999},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10659374/},
}