Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Effects of UMTS cellular phones on human hearing: results of the European project EMFnEAR
Parazzini M, Sibella F, Lutman ME, Mishra S, Moulin A, Sliwinska-Kowalska M, Woznicka E, Politanski P, Zmyslony M, Thuroczy G, Molnár F, Kubinyi G, Tavartkiladze G, Bronyakin S, Uloziene I, Uloza V, Gradauskiene E, Ravazzani P. · 2009
View Original AbstractTwenty minutes of cell phone radiation at maximum power caused no immediate hearing damage in 134 people.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 134 healthy young adults to 20 minutes of radiofrequency radiation from UMTS mobile phones at maximum power while testing their hearing function before and after exposure. The study found no consistent changes in hearing ability, ear function, or auditory processing after the RF exposure. This suggests that short-term exposure to cell phone radiation at typical usage levels does not cause immediate measurable damage to human hearing.
Why This Matters
This European multi-center study provides reassuring evidence about one specific aspect of RF exposure - immediate effects on hearing. The exposure level of 69 mW/kg SAR is actually higher than what most people experience during typical phone calls, making this a reasonably robust test of acute auditory effects. However, this study only examined immediate changes over 20 minutes, which tells us nothing about potential long-term effects from years of daily exposure. The reality is that while your hearing may not suffer from a single phone conversation, the broader question of cumulative RF exposure effects on the nervous system remains an active area of research. What this means for you is that short phone calls likely won't damage your hearing, but this single study shouldn't be interpreted as proof that all RF health concerns are unfounded.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.069 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 39.8 V/m
- Source/Device
- 1,947 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 20 min
Exposure Context
This study used 39.8 V/m for electric fields:
- 132.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The European project EMFnEAR was undertaken to assess potential changes in human auditory function after a short-term exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation produced by UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile phones.
Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear disorders. Auditory function was asses...
Results from 134 participants did not show any consistent pattern of effects on the auditory system...
It is concluded that UMTS short-term exposure at the maximum output of consumer mobile phones does not cause measurable immediate effects on the human auditory system.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2009_effects_of_umts_cellular_2793,
author = {Parazzini M and Sibella F and Lutman ME and Mishra S and Moulin A and Sliwinska-Kowalska M and Woznicka E and Politanski P and Zmyslony M and Thuroczy G and Molnár F and Kubinyi G and Tavartkiladze G and Bronyakin S and Uloziene I and Uloza V and Gradauskiene E and Ravazzani P. },
title = {Effects of UMTS cellular phones on human hearing: results of the European project EMFnEAR},
year = {2009},
url = {https://meridian.allenpress.com/radiation-research/article-abstract/172/2/244/48215},
}