Cell phone exposures and hearing loss in children in the Danish National Birth Cohort
Sudan M, Kheifets L, Arah OA, Olsen J. · 2013
View Original AbstractChildren who used cell phones showed 21-23% higher hearing loss risk in this first major study of 52,000 kids.
Plain English Summary
Danish researchers followed over 52,000 children from birth to age 7, tracking their cell phone use and hearing ability. They found children who used cell phones had a 21-23% higher risk of hearing loss compared to non-users. This is the first large-scale study to examine whether cell phone radiation might affect children's hearing, though the researchers noted the findings need confirmation from other studies.
Why This Matters
This groundbreaking study represents the first large-scale investigation into whether cell phone use affects children's hearing, and the results deserve serious attention. While the researchers appropriately noted limitations and called for replication, a 21-23% increased risk of hearing loss among child cell phone users is not trivial. The science demonstrates that children's developing nervous systems are particularly vulnerable to EMF effects, with their thinner skulls allowing deeper penetration of radiofrequency radiation. What makes this study especially significant is its prospective design, following children from birth through age 7, which helps establish temporal relationships between exposure and effects. The reality is that children today use cell phones at much younger ages and for longer durations than the cohort studied here, potentially amplifying any risks. You don't have to eliminate cell phone use entirely, but this research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting we should minimize children's direct exposure to cell phone radiation, especially during calls.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: Cell phone
Study Details
We investigated the association between cell phone use and hearing loss in children.
The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) enrolled pregnant women between 1996 and 2002. Detailed inte...
Our analyses included data from 52 680 children. We observed weak associations between cell phone us...
Our findings could have been affected by various biases and are not sufficient to conclude that cell phone exposures have an effect on hearing. This is the first large‐scale epidemiologic study to investigate this potentially important association among children, and replication of these findings is needed.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2013_cell_phone_exposures_and_1537,
author = {Sudan M and Kheifets L and Arah OA and Olsen J.},
title = {Cell phone exposures and hearing loss in children in the Danish National Birth Cohort},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1111/ppe.12036},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ppe.12036},
}