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Mobile phone base stations and adverse health effects: Phase 1: A population-based cross-sectional study in Germany.

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Blettner M, Schlehofer B, Breckenkamp J, Kowall B, Schmiedel S, Reis U, Potthoff P, Schuez J, Berg-Beckhoff G. · 2009

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Living within 500 meters of cell towers was linked to more health complaints in 30,000 Germans, even after accounting for people's concerns about the towers.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers surveyed over 30,000 people to see if living near cell phone towers was linked to health complaints. They found that people living within 500 meters of a cell tower reported slightly more health problems than those living farther away. Importantly, this increase couldn't be fully explained by people's concerns or beliefs about the towers, suggesting the proximity itself may play a role.

Why This Matters

This large German study adds important evidence to the growing body of research linking cell tower proximity to health effects. What makes this research particularly compelling is its size - over 30,000 participants - and the fact that it controlled for people's beliefs and concerns about the towers. The reality is that many studies on this topic get dismissed because researchers assume health complaints are purely psychological. But when nearly 20% of the German population expresses concern about cell tower health effects, and proximity shows an association with symptoms even after accounting for those concerns, we need to take notice. The 500-meter distance studied here is significant because many people live much closer to cell towers than this. What this means for you is that the science continues to support the precautionary principle when it comes to wireless infrastructure placement near homes and schools.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this first phase of a cross-sectional study from Germany was to investigate whether proximity of residence to mobile phone base stations as well as risk perception is associated with health complaints.

The researchers conducted a population-based, multi-phase, cross-sectional study within the context ...

Of the 30,047 participants (response rate 58.6%), 18.7% of participants were concerned about adverse...

A substantial proportion of the German population is concerned about adverse health effects caused by exposure from mobile phone base stations. The observed slightly higher prevalence of health complaints near base stations can not however be fully explained by attributions or concerns.

Cite This Study
Blettner M, Schlehofer B, Breckenkamp J, Kowall B, Schmiedel S, Reis U, Potthoff P, Schuez J, Berg-Beckhoff G. (2009). Mobile phone base stations and adverse health effects: Phase 1: A population-based cross-sectional study in Germany. Occup Environ Med. 66(2):118-123. 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2009_mobile_phone_base_stations_1912,
  author = {Blettner M and Schlehofer B and Breckenkamp J and Kowall B and Schmiedel S and Reis U and Potthoff P and Schuez J and Berg-Beckhoff G.},
  title = {Mobile phone base stations and adverse health effects: Phase 1: A population-based cross-sectional study in Germany.},
  year = {2009},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19017702/},
}
PubMed: 19017702

Cited By (147 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, a large German study of over 30,000 people found that residents living within 500 meters of mobile phone base stations reported slightly more health complaints than those living farther away. This increase couldn't be fully explained by people's concerns about the towers.
According to a 2009 German population study, 18.7% of over 30,000 participants were concerned about adverse health effects from mobile phone base stations, while an additional 10.3% attributed their personal health problems to tower exposure.
No, the German study found that while people concerned about cell towers did report more health problems, the higher rate of complaints near base stations couldn't be fully explained by people's worries or beliefs about the towers alone.
The German cross-sectional study achieved a 58.6% response rate, with 30,047 people participating. This made it one of the largest population-based studies examining the relationship between proximity to cell phone base stations and health complaints.
German researchers found that people living within 500 meters of cell phone base stations reported slightly more health complaints than those living farther away. The study suggests proximity itself may play a role beyond psychological factors.