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Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Brain & Nervous System

Perception of the electromagnetic field emitted by a mobile phone

No Effects Found

Authors not listed · 2007

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Healthy adults cannot reliably detect 902 MHz cell phone radiation, even with financial incentives.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers tested 84 healthy young adults to see if they could consciously detect GSM cell phone radiation (902 MHz) in controlled laboratory conditions. Despite financial incentives for good performance, participants performed no better than random guessing, providing evidence against electromagnetic sensitivity to mobile phone fields.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 902 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 902 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale
Cite This Study
Unknown (2007). Perception of the electromagnetic field emitted by a mobile phone.
Show BibTeX
@article{perception_of_the_electromagnetic_field_emitted_by_a_mobile_phone_ce1668,
  author = {Unknown},
  title = {Perception of the electromagnetic field emitted by a mobile phone},
  year = {2007},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20375},
  
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20375PubMed: 18027840

Quick Questions About This Study

No. This study tested 84 healthy adults and found they performed no better than random chance at detecting 902 MHz GSM signals, even with monetary prizes offered for accurate detection.
While statistically extraordinary, these results disappeared during retesting one month later, suggesting the initial high scores were likely coincidental rather than genuine electromagnetic sensitivity.
No. Six participants reported being able to sense mobile phone EMF in preliminary questioning, but they performed no better than other participants in the actual detection tasks.
This represents the specific GSM mobile phone signal characteristics used in 2007, with 902 MHz being the carrier frequency and 217 Hz being the pulse modulation rate typical of that technology.
Each participant completed 600 trials across two different tasks, with 100 trials in each of three conditions, providing a robust statistical sample for detecting any genuine sensitivity.