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Brain & Nervous System

Effect of Bluetooth headset and mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the human auditory nerve.

No Effects Found

Mandalà M, Colletti V, Sacchetto L, Manganotti P, Ramat S, Marcocci A, Colletti L · 2013

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Bluetooth headsets produced no nerve effects while mobile phones caused significant auditory nerve deterioration under identical direct exposure conditions.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers directly exposed the auditory nerves of 12 patients to electromagnetic fields from both mobile phones and Bluetooth headsets during surgery. While mobile phone EMFs caused significant deterioration in nerve function, Bluetooth devices produced no detectable effects on the auditory nerve. This suggests Bluetooth technology may be a safer alternative for wireless communication near the head.

Study Details

The possibility that long-term mobile phone use increases the incidence of astrocytoma, glioma and acoustic neuroma has been investigated in several studies. Recently, our group showed that direct exposure (in a surgical setting) to cell phone electromagnetic fields (EMFs) induces deterioration of auditory evoked cochlear nerve compound action potential (CNAP) in humans. To verify whether the use of Bluetooth devices reduces these effects, we conducted the present study with the same experimental protocol.

Twelve patients underwent retrosigmoid vestibular neurectomy to treat definite unilateral Ménière's ...

We found no short-term effects of Bluetooth EMFs on the auditory nervous structures, whereas direct ...

The outcomes of the present study show that, contrary to the finding that the latency and amplitude of CNAPs are very sensitive to EMFs produced by the tested mobile phone, the EMFs produced by a common Bluetooth device do not induce any significant change in cochlear nerve activity. The conditions of exposure, therefore, differ from those of everyday life, in which various biological tissues may reduce the EMF affecting the cochlear nerve. Nevertheless, these novel findings may have important safety implications.

Cite This Study
Mandalà M, Colletti V, Sacchetto L, Manganotti P, Ramat S, Marcocci A, Colletti L (2013). Effect of Bluetooth headset and mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the human auditory nerve. Laryngoscope. 2013 Apr 25. doi: 10.1002/lary.24103.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2013_effect_of_bluetooth_headset_3225,
  author = {Mandalà M and Colletti V and Sacchetto L and Manganotti P and Ramat S and Marcocci A and Colletti L},
  title = {Effect of Bluetooth headset and mobile phone electromagnetic fields on the human auditory nerve.},
  year = {2013},
  doi = {10.1002/lary.24103},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/lary.24103},
}
DOI: 10.1002/lary.24103

Cited By (13 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2013 study found no detectable effects on auditory nerves from Bluetooth headset EMFs during direct surgical exposure. The research suggests Bluetooth devices don't impair nerve function, unlike mobile phones which caused significant nerve deterioration in the same study.
Research directly exposing auditory nerves to Bluetooth EMFs found no significant changes in nerve activity. The 2013 study suggests Bluetooth technology produces weaker electromagnetic fields that don't affect nervous system structures, making it potentially safer than mobile phones.
Yes, a 2013 study found mobile phone EMFs caused significant deterioration in auditory nerve function when directly exposed during surgery. The research showed decreased nerve response amplitude and increased response delays in all 12 patients tested.
Current research suggests minimal nerve damage risk from Bluetooth devices. A 2013 study directly exposing auditory nerves to Bluetooth EMFs found no detectable effects on nerve function, contrasting with significant damage observed from mobile phone radiation.
Bluetooth wireless headphones appear to have minimal impact on nerve function. Research directly exposing auditory nerves to Bluetooth EMFs during surgery found no significant changes in nerve activity, suggesting these devices are safer than mobile phones for nervous system health.