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Overall mortality of cellular telephone customers.

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Rothman KJ, Loughlin JE, Funch DP, Dreyer NA · 1996

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This 1994 study found no increased death rates from early cellular phones, but one year of data cannot detect long-term health effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tracked mortality rates among more than 250,000 cellular phone customers in 1994, comparing users of portable phones (which expose the head to radio frequency energy) with mobile phone users (whose antennas were separate from the handset). They found no significant difference in death rates between the two groups, with portable phone users actually showing slightly lower mortality rates.

Why This Matters

This early mortality surveillance study represents one of the first attempts to examine whether cellular phone radiation exposure affects overall health outcomes at the population level. While the researchers found no increased mortality among portable phone users compared to mobile phone users, this study has significant limitations that prevent drawing firm conclusions about EMF safety. The one-year observation period in 1994 captured an era when cellular phone usage was far less intensive than today, and many serious health effects like cancer can take decades to develop. What this study does demonstrate is the importance of long-term epidemiological monitoring of wireless device users. The reality is that we're now conducting a massive, uncontrolled experiment on human health with EMF exposure levels that dwarf what these 1994 users experienced, making continued surveillance more critical than ever.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

Unlike mobile cellular telephones, in which the antenna is not part of the handset, a portable cellular telephone exposes the user's head to radio frequency energy transmitted from the antenna. This exposure has prompted concerns about potential biological effects, including brain cancer.

As a first step in a record-based mortality surveillance of cellular telephone customers, we report ...

We found age specific rates to be similar for users of the two types of telephones. For customers wi...

Cite This Study
Rothman KJ, Loughlin JE, Funch DP, Dreyer NA (1996). Overall mortality of cellular telephone customers. Epidemiology 7(3):303-305, 1996.
Show BibTeX
@article{kj_1996_overall_mortality_of_cellular_2544,
  author = {Rothman KJ and Loughlin JE and Funch DP and Dreyer NA},
  title = {Overall mortality of cellular telephone customers.},
  year = {1996},
  
  url = {https://www.rti.org/publication/overall-mortality-cellular-telephone-customers},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

No, portable phone users actually had slightly lower death rates. A 1996 study tracking over 250,000 cellular customers found portable phone users had 14% lower mortality rates compared to mobile phone users, though this difference wasn't statistically significant.
Research suggests no significant difference in mortality risk. The 1996 Rothman study compared portable phones (which expose the head to RF energy) with mobile phones having separate antennas and found similar death rates between both user groups.
Over 250,000 cellular phone customers were tracked in the landmark 1996 mortality study. Researchers compared death rates between portable phone users and mobile phone users with external antennas throughout 1994 to assess potential health risks.
The evidence suggests no increased death risk. A large 1996 study found that portable phone users, who hold devices near their heads, had mortality rates 14% lower than car phone users, indicating no harmful effect from head exposure.
The analysis of customers with accounts at least 3 years old showed portable phone users had a mortality rate ratio of 0.86 compared to mobile phone users, suggesting no increased death risk from handheld phone use.