Replication of heart rate variability provocation study with 2.4-GHz cordless phone confirms original findings.
Havas M, Marrongelle J · 2013
View Original AbstractStudy found 36% of people showed stress responses to cordless phone radiation at household exposure levels, though results were later retracted.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 69 people to radiation from a 2.4-GHz cordless phone base station for 3-minute intervals and measured changes in heart rate variability (a measure of stress response). They found that 36% of participants showed measurable physiological stress responses to the EMF exposure, with 7% classified as moderately to very sensitive. The study suggests that some people may have an involuntary stress response to common household wireless devices.
Why This Matters
This study addresses a critical question in EMF health research: whether wireless devices can trigger measurable physiological responses in people, even at low power levels. The exposure levels used (3-8 μW/cm²) are comparable to what you might experience sitting near a WiFi router or cordless phone base station in your home. What makes this research particularly significant is that it measured objective physiological changes rather than relying solely on subjective symptom reports. However, it's important to note that this study was later retracted by the journal, which raises questions about its methodology or conclusions. The retraction doesn't necessarily invalidate the findings, but it does mean we should interpret these results with caution until they can be independently replicated using rigorous protocols.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.003 -0.008 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2.4-GHz cordless phone
- Exposure Duration
- 3-min intervals
Exposure Context
This study used 0.003 -0.008 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 300Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 5Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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
This is a replication of a study that we previously conducted in Colorado with 25 subjects designed to test the effect of electromagnetic radiation generated by the base station of a cordless phone on heart rate variability (HRV). In this study, we analyzed the response of 69 subjects between the ages of 26 and 80 in both Canada and the USA.
Subjects were exposed to radiation for 3-min intervals generated by a 2.4-GHz cordless phone base st...
A few participants had a severe reaction to the radiation with an increase in heart rate and altered...
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2013_replication_of_heart_rate_496,
author = {Havas M and Marrongelle J},
title = {Replication of heart rate variability provocation study with 2.4-GHz cordless phone confirms original findings.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23675629/},
}