Audiologic disturbances in long-term mobile phone users.
Panda NK, Jain R, Bakshi J, Munjal S. · 2010
View Original AbstractLong-term mobile phone use showed dose-dependent inner ear damage that increased with usage duration and intensity.
Plain English Summary
Researchers compared hearing tests in 112 long-term mobile phone users versus 50 non-users. While overall differences weren't significant, phone users showed more high-frequency hearing loss and inner ear damage that worsened with longer use, suggesting phones may gradually harm hearing.
Why This Matters
This research adds to growing evidence that mobile phone radiation affects the auditory system, even when held against the ear for what most people consider normal use. The fact that hearing damage correlated with duration and intensity of use suggests a dose-response relationship - the hallmark of a genuine biological effect. What makes this particularly concerning is that the inner ear damage measured here (absent otoacoustic emissions) can occur before you notice hearing problems yourself. The researchers' honest acknowledgment that larger studies are needed doesn't diminish the biological plausibility of these findings. Your mobile phone emits the same GSM radiation studied here, and most people today use their phones far more intensively than the 'long-term users' in this 2010 study.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This study aimed to assess the effects of chronic exposure to electromagnetic waves emitted from Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) mobile phones on auditory functions.
A retrospective, cross-sectional, randomized, case control study was carried out in a tertiary care...
There was no significant difference between users and controls for any of the audiologic parameters....
Long-term and intensive mobile phone use may cause inner ear damage. A large sample size would be required to reach definitive conclusions.
Show BibTeX
@article{nk_2010_audiologic_disturbances_in_longterm_1523,
author = {Panda NK and Jain R and Bakshi J and Munjal S.},
title = {Audiologic disturbances in long-term mobile phone users.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20122338/},
}