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Symptoms & Sensitivity111 citations

GSM phone signal does not produce subjective symptoms.

No Effects Found

Koivisto M, Haarala C, Krause CM, Revonsuo A, Laine M, Hamalainen H, · 2001

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GSM phone signals produced no immediate symptoms during 30-60 minute exposures, but this doesn't address long-term cumulative health effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Finnish researchers exposed healthy volunteers to GSM mobile phone signals (902 MHz) for 30-60 minutes and measured whether they experienced symptoms like headaches, dizziness, fatigue, or skin sensations. The study found no difference in reported symptoms between exposure and non-exposure sessions, suggesting that short-term GSM phone radiation doesn't cause immediate subjective symptoms in healthy people.

Why This Matters

This 2001 study represents an important early attempt to systematically measure whether GSM phone radiation causes the immediate symptoms many users report. The researchers used single-blind methodology and focused on the most commonly reported acute effects. However, the study's limitations are significant. The exposure duration of 30-60 minutes, while longer than typical phone calls, may not capture cumulative effects from daily use patterns. More importantly, the study only examined immediate subjective symptoms in healthy volunteers, not long-term biological changes or effects in sensitive populations.

What this means for you is that while GSM signals may not cause immediate noticeable symptoms during short exposures, this doesn't address the broader question of long-term health effects from chronic exposure. The absence of acute symptoms doesn't rule out cellular-level changes that could accumulate over time. This study contributes one piece to the EMF research puzzle, but shouldn't be interpreted as proof that mobile phone radiation is entirely without biological effects.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 217 Hz - 902 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 217 Hz - 902 MHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 902MHz, 217Hz Duration: 30-60 min

Study Details

The influence of pulsed radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields of digital GSM mobile phones (902 MHz, 217 Hz pulse modulation) on subjective symptoms or sensations in healthy subjects were studied in two single-blind experiments.

The duration of the RF exposure was about 60 min in Experiment 1 and 30 min in Experiment 2. Each su...

The results did not reveal any differences between exposure and non-exposure conditions, suggesting ...

Cite This Study
Koivisto M, Haarala C, Krause CM, Revonsuo A, Laine M, Hamalainen H, (2001). GSM phone signal does not produce subjective symptoms. Bioelectromagnetics 22(3):212-215, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2001_gsm_phone_signal_does_3150,
  author = {Koivisto M and Haarala C and Krause CM and Revonsuo A and Laine M and Hamalainen H and},
  title = {GSM phone signal does not produce subjective symptoms.},
  year = {2001},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11255218/},
}
PubMed: 11255218

Cited By (111 papers)

View all 111 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Finnish researchers found that 902 MHz GSM phone signals did not cause immediate symptoms in healthy volunteers. After 30-60 minutes of exposure, participants reported no difference in headaches, dizziness, fatigue, or skin sensations compared to non-exposure sessions.
A 2001 Finnish study found that 30-60 minutes of GSM phone signal exposure (902 MHz) produced no subjective symptoms in healthy people. The research suggests short-term exposure to these radiofrequency fields doesn't cause immediate physical effects.
Research by Koivisto and colleagues found that GSM phone signals with 217 Hz pulse modulation did not produce symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or fatigue. The study exposed healthy volunteers for up to 60 minutes with no reported adverse effects.
Finnish researchers exposed healthy volunteers to GSM mobile phone radiation for 30-60 minutes and found no symptoms. Participants reported no difference in headaches, dizziness, fatigue, or skin sensations between exposure and control sessions in this controlled study.
In controlled testing of 902 MHz GSM phone signals, healthy volunteers reported no symptoms during or after 30-60 minute exposures. The Finnish study found no difference in headaches, dizziness, fatigue, or skin sensations compared to sham exposure sessions.