Mobile phones exposure induces changes of contingent negative variation in humans
de Tommaso M, Rossi P, Falsaperla R, Francesco Vde V, Santoro R, Federici A · 2009
View Original AbstractCell phones measurably alter brain electrical activity even when not in active use, at radiation levels typical of normal phone operation.
Plain English Summary
Italian researchers exposed 10 volunteers to cell phone radiation at 900 MHz and measured their brain's electrical activity using EEG. They found that both active phones and phones with blocked radiation (but still powered on) reduced brain arousal and expectation responses compared to phones that were completely off. This suggests that cell phone exposure affects how the brain processes and anticipates information.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something important that most people don't realize: your phone affects your brain even when you're not actively using it. The researchers found measurable changes in brain electrical activity at 0.5 W/kg SAR, which is well within normal phone usage levels. What makes this particularly significant is that even the 'sham' phones (powered on but with blocked RF) showed effects, suggesting that extremely low frequency fields from the phone's internal circuits may also impact brain function. The science demonstrates that phones don't need to be pressed against your ear to influence neural activity. What this means for you is that the 'standby' phone in your pocket or on your nightstand may be subtly affecting your brain's electrical patterns throughout the day.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.5 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz GSM
- Exposure Duration
- 48 experiments with pauses of 4 to 6 s
Exposure Context
This study used 0.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.3x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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 aim of the present study was the evaluation of initial contingent negative variation (iCNV) changes, induced by 900 MHz GSM exposure, in a double blind design in healthy volunteers, subjected to a threefold experimental condition, EXPOSED (A), a real GSM phone emitting electromagnetic power, SHAM (B), a real phone where the electromagnetic power was dissipated on an internal load and OFF (C), a phone completely switched-off.
Ten healthy right-handed volunteers were evaluated. The CNV was recorded during a 10 min time interv...
The iCNV amplitude decreased and habituation increased during both A and B conditions, compared with...
This evidence, limited by the low number of subjects investigated, could be explained in terms of an effect induced by both the GSM signal and the extremely low frequency magnetic field produced by battery and internal circuits.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2009_mobile_phones_exposure_induces_88,
author = {de Tommaso M and Rossi P and Falsaperla R and Francesco Vde V and Santoro R and Federici A},
title = {Mobile phones exposure induces changes of contingent negative variation in humans},
year = {2009},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394009011355},
}