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Symptoms & Sensitivity

Effects of radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on electromagnetic hypersensitive subjects.

No Effects Found

Kwon MK, Choi JY, Kim SK, Yoo TK, Kim DW. · 2012

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Even people claiming electromagnetic hypersensitivity couldn't detect or respond to cell phone radiation at levels higher than typical phone use.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested whether people claiming electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) could actually detect cell phone radiation or experience symptoms from it. They exposed 17 EHS subjects and 20 healthy controls to real and fake WCDMA phone signals for 32 minutes while monitoring heart rate, breathing, and symptoms. Neither group showed any physiological changes or could reliably tell when they were being exposed to real radiation.

Why This Matters

This study adds to a growing body of research questioning whether electromagnetic hypersensitivity represents a genuine biological response to EMF exposure. The exposure level used (1.57 W/kg SAR) is actually above what most modern phones produce during typical use, making this a fairly robust test. What's particularly significant is that even people who strongly believed they were sensitive to EMFs couldn't detect the radiation or showed measurable responses to it. While this doesn't dismiss the real symptoms EHS sufferers experience, it suggests the underlying cause may not be direct EMF exposure. The reality is that EHS remains a complex condition that likely involves multiple factors beyond electromagnetic fields themselves.

Exposure Details

SAR
1.57 W/kg
Source/Device
1950 MHz
Exposure Duration
32 minutes

Exposure Context

This study used 1.57 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1.57 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 1 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.95 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.95 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this studies Is to invesitgate Effects of radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on electromagnetic hypersensitive subjects.

In this double-blind study, two volunteer groups of 17 EHS and 20 non-EHS subjects were simultaneous...

WCDMA RF-EMFs generated no physiological changes or subjective symptoms in either group. There was n...

Considering the analyzed physiological data, the subjective symptoms surveyed, and the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed, 32 min of RF radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones demonstrated no effects in either EHS or non-EHS subjects.

Cite This Study
Kwon MK, Choi JY, Kim SK, Yoo TK, Kim DW. (2012). Effects of radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on electromagnetic hypersensitive subjects. Environ Health. 11(1):69, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{mk_2012_effects_of_radiation_emitted_3164,
  author = {Kwon MK and Choi JY and Kim SK and Yoo TK and Kim DW.},
  title = {Effects of radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on electromagnetic hypersensitive subjects.},
  year = {2012},
  doi = {10.1186/1476-069X-11-69},
  url = {https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-069X-11-69},
}
DOI: 10.1186/1476-069X-11-69

Cited By (32 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2012 study found no evidence that cell phone radiation causes symptoms in people claiming electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Neither EHS subjects nor healthy controls showed physiological changes or could detect when exposed to real WCDMA phone signals for 32 minutes.
Research shows 3G WCDMA phone radiation doesn't affect people who claim electromagnetic sensitivity differently than others. A controlled study found no physiological changes, symptoms, or ability to detect radiation exposure in either sensitive or non-sensitive individuals.
No, WCDMA radiation from mobile phones doesn't affect heart rate or breathing patterns. Researchers monitored these vital signs during 32-minute exposures and found no physiological changes in either electromagnetically sensitive people or healthy controls.
Studies on 1950 MHz WCDMA radiation show no measurable health effects during typical exposure periods. Research found no physiological changes, symptoms, or detection ability in both electromagnetically hypersensitive individuals and healthy people after 32-minute exposures.
Mobile phone EMF doesn't impact people claiming electromagnetic sensitivity any differently than others. Controlled testing revealed no physiological responses, subjective symptoms, or ability to perceive radiation exposure in either sensitive or non-sensitive groups.