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Brain & Nervous System

No effect of an UMTS mobile phone‐like electromagnetic field of 1.97 GHz on human attention and reaction time

No Effects Found

Unterlechner M, Sauter C, Schmid G, Zeitlhofer J · 2008

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Short-term 3G phone exposure showed no immediate effects on attention or reaction time in healthy adults.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 40 healthy adults to 3G mobile phone signals at 1.97 GHz for 90 minutes while testing their attention and reaction time through computer tasks. The study found no immediate effects on cognitive performance at exposure levels up to 0.63 W/kg SAR (specific absorption rate), which represents the amount of RF energy absorbed by brain tissue. This suggests that short-term exposure to 3G phone signals does not impair basic mental functions like attention and reaction speed.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.97 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.97 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 1.97 GHz Duration: 90 min

Study Details

To study the effect of an UMTS mobile phone-like electromagnetic field of 1.97 GHz on human attention and reaction time.

In our study, 40 healthy volunteers (20 female, 20 male), aged 26.0 years (range 21–30 years) underw...

Statistical analysis of the obtained test parameters showed that exposure to the generic UMTS signal...

Therefore, this study does not provide any evidence that exposure of UMTS mobiles interferes with attention under short‐term exposure conditions.

Cite This Study
Unterlechner M, Sauter C, Schmid G, Zeitlhofer J (2008). No effect of an UMTS mobile phone‐like electromagnetic field of 1.97 GHz on human attention and reaction time Bioelectromagnetics. 29(2):145-153, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2008_no_effect_of_an_2817,
  author = {Unterlechner M and Sauter C and Schmid G and Zeitlhofer J},
  title = {No effect of an UMTS mobile phone‐like electromagnetic field of 1.97 GHz on human attention and reaction time},
  year = {2008},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20374},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20374},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20374

Cited By (37 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 2008 study found no immediate effects on attention span from 3G phone radiation at 1.97 GHz. Researchers exposed 40 adults to 90 minutes of 3G signals while testing cognitive performance, finding no statistically significant changes in attention or reaction time.
No, 90 minutes of UMTS mobile phone exposure does not impair reaction time according to controlled research. The study tested 40 healthy adults using computer tasks during 1.97 GHz exposure up to 0.63 W/kg SAR, showing no cognitive performance changes.
Research suggests 0.63 W/kg SAR exposure does not immediately affect basic brain functions like attention and reaction speed. This 2008 study found no cognitive impairment from 3G phone signals at this absorption rate during short-term exposure conditions.
3G mobile phones do not interfere with computer task performance based on scientific testing. Researchers found no statistically significant effects on attention or reaction time when participants performed computer tasks while exposed to 1.97 GHz UMTS signals for 90 minutes.
No cognitive effects occur from short-term 1.97 GHz exposure according to controlled research. The study exposed participants to 3G phone-like electromagnetic fields for 90 minutes and found no evidence of interference with attention or reaction time performance.