The influence of handheld mobile phones on human parotid gland secretion.
Goldwein O, Aframian DJ. · 2010
View Original AbstractMobile phones alter saliva production in adjacent glands, showing radiation causes measurable biological changes in human tissues.
Plain English Summary
Israeli researchers studied 50 healthy volunteers who regularly used mobile phones on one side of their head, measuring saliva production from their parotid glands (the large salivary glands near your ears). They found that the parotid gland on the phone-using side produced significantly more saliva but with lower protein content compared to the non-phone side. The authors concluded this indicates the glands are responding to continuous stress from radiofrequency radiation exposure.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that mobile phone radiation causes measurable biological changes in human tissues adjacent to the device. The parotid glands sit directly in the path of radiation from phones held against the ear, making them ideal indicators of local tissue effects. What makes this research particularly significant is its elegant design using each person as their own control, comparing the phone-side gland to the non-phone side gland in the same individual. The researchers' characterization of these changes as reflecting 'continuous insult to the glands' is notable language from the scientific community. While we don't know the long-term implications of altered salivary function, this study adds to growing evidence that mobile phone radiation causes biological responses in human tissues at levels considered safe by current guidelines.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
To evaluate whether MPH induces physiologic changes in the adjacent parotid gland, located on the dominant side, in terms of secretion rates and protein levels in the secreted saliva.
Stimulated parotid saliva was collected simultaneously from both glands in 50 healthy volunteers who...
A significantly higher saliva secretion rate was noticed in the dominant MPH side compared with that...
Parotid glands adjacent to handheld MPH in use respond by elevated salivary rates and decreased protein secretion reflecting the continuous insult to the glands. This phenomenon should be revealed to the worldwide population and further exploration by means of large-scale longitudinal studies is warranted.
Show BibTeX
@article{o_2010_the_influence_of_handheld_2117,
author = {Goldwein O and Aframian DJ.},
title = {The influence of handheld mobile phones on human parotid gland secretion.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19744173/},
}