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Thirty minutes mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on central auditory pathways.

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Arai N, Enomoto H, Okabe S, Yuasa K, Kamimura Y, Ugawa Y. · 2003

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This study found no immediate brain changes after 30 minutes of phone use, but didn't measure radiation levels or long-term effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers measured brain activity in the auditory pathways of 15 volunteers before and after 30 minutes of mobile phone use. They found no changes in how the brain processes sound signals, suggesting short-term phone use doesn't immediately disrupt hearing-related brain function. However, this study only looked at immediate effects and didn't measure the actual radiation levels participants were exposed to.

Why This Matters

This study represents an important early attempt to measure EMF effects on brain function, but it has significant limitations that reduce its value in understanding real-world risks. The researchers didn't specify the phone model, radiation levels, or even the frequency used - critical details that make it impossible to relate these findings to your daily phone use. More concerning is that this study only looked at immediate effects after 30 minutes of exposure. The science demonstrates that biological effects from EMF often develop over longer timeframes, and many health impacts aren't immediately detectable. While finding no short-term changes in auditory brain responses is reassuring, it doesn't tell us about cumulative effects from months or years of regular phone use, which is how most people actually use these devices.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 30 Min

Study Details

To investigate whether pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field (pulsed EM field) emitted by a mobile phone for 30 min has short-term adverse effects on the human central auditory system.

We studied the auditory brainstem response (ABR), the ABR recovery function and middle latency respo...

None of the 3 measures were affected by exposure to pulsed EM field emitted by a mobile phone for 30...

Based on the ABR and MLR methods utilized in the study, we conclude that 30 min mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on the human auditory system

Cite This Study
Arai N, Enomoto H, Okabe S, Yuasa K, Kamimura Y, Ugawa Y. (2003). Thirty minutes mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on central auditory pathways. Clin Neurophysiol. 114(8):1390-1394, 2003.
Show BibTeX
@article{n_2003_thirty_minutes_mobile_phone_1841,
  author = {Arai N and Enomoto H and Okabe S and Yuasa K and Kamimura Y and Ugawa Y.},
  title = {Thirty minutes mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on central auditory pathways.},
  year = {2003},
  
  url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138824570300124X},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers measured brain activity in the auditory pathways of 15 volunteers before and after 30 minutes of mobile phone use. They found no changes in how the brain processes sound signals, suggesting short-term phone use doesn't immediately disrupt hearing-related brain function. However, this study only looked at immediate effects and didn't measure the actual radiation levels participants were exposed to.