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Cognitive function and symptoms in adults and adolescents in relation to rf radiation from UMTS base stations.

No Effects Found

Riddervold IS, Pedersen GF, Andersen NT, Pedersen AD, Andersen JB, Zachariae R, Mølhave L, Sigsgaard T, Kjaergaard SK. · 2008

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UMTS base station radiation showed no immediate cognitive effects in controlled testing, though headache reports increased slightly.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Danish researchers tested whether 45-minute exposures to UMTS cell tower radiation (2140 MHz) affected cognitive performance and symptoms in 40 teenagers and 40 adults. They found no significant differences in cognitive test performance between real and sham exposures, though participants reported slightly more headaches during radiation exposure, which may have been due to baseline differences rather than the radiation itself.

Study Details

There is widespread public concern about the potential adverse health effects of mobile phones in general and their associated base stations in particular. This study was designed to investigate the acute effects of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) mobile phone base stations on human cognitive function and symptoms.

Forty adolescents (15-16 years) and 40 adults (25-40 years) were exposed to four conditions: (1) sha...

No statistically significant differences between the UMTS and sham conditions were found for perform...

In conclusion, the primary hypothesis that UMTS radiation reduces general performance in the TMB test was not confirmed. However, we suggest that the hypothesis of subjective symptoms and EMF exposure needs further research.

Cite This Study
Riddervold IS, Pedersen GF, Andersen NT, Pedersen AD, Andersen JB, Zachariae R, Mølhave L, Sigsgaard T, Kjaergaard SK. (2008). Cognitive function and symptoms in adults and adolescents in relation to rf radiation from UMTS base stations. Bioelectromagnetics. 29(4):257-267, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{is_2008_cognitive_function_and_symptoms_3332,
  author = {Riddervold IS and Pedersen GF and Andersen NT and Pedersen AD and Andersen JB and Zachariae R and Mølhave L and Sigsgaard T and Kjaergaard SK.},
  title = {Cognitive function and symptoms in adults and adolescents in relation to rf radiation from UMTS base stations.},
  year = {2008},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18163423/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Danish researchers tested whether 45-minute exposures to UMTS cell tower radiation (2140 MHz) affected cognitive performance and symptoms in 40 teenagers and 40 adults. They found no significant differences in cognitive test performance between real and sham exposures, though participants reported slightly more headaches during radiation exposure, which may have been due to baseline differences rather than the radiation itself.