Evaluation in humans of the effects of radiocellular telephones on the circadian patterns of melatonin secretion, a chronobiological rhythm marker.

Bioeffects Seen

de Seze R, Ayoub J, Peray P, Miro L, Touitou Y · 1999

Cell phone radiation at maximum power for 2 hours daily didn't disrupt melatonin in young men over 4 weeks.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

French researchers exposed 38 young men to cell phone radiation (GSM 900 MHz and DCS 1800 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 4 weeks to test whether it would disrupt melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep cycles. They found no changes in melatonin patterns during or after exposure. This suggests that typical cell phone use may not directly interfere with the body's natural sleep hormone production.

Why This Matters

This 1999 study represents one of the earlier attempts to understand how cell phone radiation might affect human biology, specifically targeting melatonin because animal studies had shown ELF fields could suppress this critical sleep hormone. The researchers used phones at maximum power for 2 hours daily, which likely exceeded typical usage patterns of that era. While the negative findings are reassuring for sleep concerns, this study has important limitations. The exposure duration was relatively short at 4 weeks, and the study only included young healthy men. The reality is that melatonin disruption from EMF exposure may require longer exposure periods or affect different populations differently. What this means for you is that while this particular study didn't find melatonin disruption, it doesn't rule out other sleep-related effects from EMF exposure, and the broader body of research on EMF and sleep disturbances continues to grow.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: GSM 900 MHz or DCS 1800 MHz Duration: 2 hr/day, 5 days/wk, for 4 wk

Study Details

As there is some concern about possible health effects of the increasing use of radiocellular telephones emitting radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, we examined whether such fields would alter melatonin levels in the human.

Volunteers were two groups totalling 38 men, 20-32 yr old. Exposures were to commercially available ...

Evaluated parameters were the maximum serum concentration, the time of this maximum, and the area un...

Cite This Study

de Seze R, Ayoub J, Peray P, Miro L, Touitou Y (1999). Evaluation in humans of the effects of radiocellular telephones on the circadian patterns of melatonin secretion, a chronobiological rhythm marker. J Pineal Res 27(4):237-242, 1999.

Show BibTeX

@article{r_1999_evaluation_in_humans_of_2022,
  author = {de Seze R and Ayoub J and Peray P and Miro L and Touitou Y},
  title = {Evaluation in humans of the effects of radiocellular telephones on the circadian patterns of melatonin secretion, a chronobiological rhythm marker.},
  year = {1999},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10551772/},
}

PubMed: 10551772

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Quick Questions About This Study

A 1999 French study found that cell phone radiation did not disrupt melatonin production in 38 young men exposed for 2 hours daily over 4 weeks. Melatonin regulates your sleep cycle, and this research suggests typical phone use may not directly interfere with this crucial hormone.

Research from France tested GSM 900 MHz and DCS 1800 MHz cell phone radiation on 37 volunteers for one month. The study found no changes in melatonin patterns during or after exposure, indicating that normal cell phone use may not impact your body's natural melatonin production.

A controlled study exposed young men to cell phone radiation for 2 hours daily over 4 weeks and measured their melatonin levels. Researchers found no disruption to circadian patterns, suggesting that cell phone radiation may not directly harm your natural sleep-wake cycle through hormone interference.

French researchers tested GSM 900 MHz radiation effects on sleep hormones in 38 volunteers over 4 weeks. They found no changes in melatonin production or timing, which suggests GSM cell phone radiation may not directly cause sleep problems through hormonal disruption.

A 1999 study measured circadian rhythm markers in men exposed to cell phone radiation for one month. The research found no disruption to melatonin patterns, indicating that typical cell phone exposure may not significantly impact your body's natural 24-hour biological clock through hormone changes.