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Brain & Nervous System

Neurodevelopment for the first three years following prenatal mobile phone use, radio frequency radiation and lead exposure.

No Effects Found

Choi KH, Ha M, Ha EH, Park H, Kim Y, Hong YC, Lee AK, Hwa Kwon J, Choi HD, Kim N, Kim S, Park C. · 2017

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Mobile phone use during pregnancy may amplify lead toxicity effects on child brain development, suggesting RF radiation acts as a harmful multiplier.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers followed 1,198 mother-child pairs to examine whether mobile phone use during pregnancy affects children's brain development in their first three years. While they found no direct link between prenatal phone use and developmental delays, children whose mothers had both high lead exposure and heavy phone use showed increased risk of developmental problems. This suggests that RF radiation might amplify the harmful effects of other toxins during pregnancy.

Study Details

To examine neurodevelopment in children up to 36 months of age, following prenatal mobile phone use and radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure, in relation to prenatal lead exposure.

We analyzed 1198 mother-child pairs from a prospective cohort study (the Mothers and Children's Envi...

The psychomotor development index (PDI) and the mental development index (MDI) at 6, 12, 24, and 36 ...

We found no association between prenatal exposure to RFR and child neurodevelopment during the first three years of life; however, a potential combined effect of prenatal exposure to lead and mobile phone use was suggested.

Cite This Study
Choi KH, Ha M, Ha EH, Park H, Kim Y, Hong YC, Lee AK, Hwa Kwon J, Choi HD, Kim N, Kim S, Park C. (2017). Neurodevelopment for the first three years following prenatal mobile phone use, radio frequency radiation and lead exposure. Environ Res. 156:810-817, 2017.
Show BibTeX
@article{kh_2017_neurodevelopment_for_the_first_2976,
  author = {Choi KH and Ha M and Ha EH and Park H and Kim Y and Hong YC and Lee AK and Hwa Kwon J and Choi HD and Kim N and Kim S and Park C.},
  title = {Neurodevelopment for the first three years following prenatal mobile phone use, radio frequency radiation and lead exposure.},
  year = {2017},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28511138/},
}
PubMed: 28511138

Cited By (32 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2017 study of 1,198 mother-child pairs found no direct link between mobile phone use during pregnancy and developmental delays in children's first three years. However, children whose mothers had both high lead exposure and heavy phone use showed increased developmental problems, suggesting RF radiation may amplify other toxins' effects.
Yes, according to 2017 research tracking 1,198 families. While phone use alone during pregnancy didn't affect child development, mothers with high lead levels who used phones heavily had children with significantly increased risk of lower psychomotor and mental development scores through age 36 months.
The 2017 study found a dose-response relationship where increasing phone call time and frequency during pregnancy worsened developmental outcomes specifically in children whose mothers had high lead exposure. This suggests no clearly safe threshold when both exposures combine during pregnancy.
Researchers followed 1,198 children for three full years after birth, testing their psychomotor and mental development at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of age. This extended timeline allowed scientists to track whether prenatal mobile phone exposure affected early brain development milestones.
No, the 2017 study found no significant association between child neurodevelopment and prenatal RF radiation measured by personal exposure monitors (PEM), which matched their findings from maternal phone use reports. Both measurement methods showed no direct effects from radiation alone.