Study of the health of people living in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations: I. Influence of distance and sex.
Santini R, Santini P, Danze JM, Le Ruz P, Seigne M. · 2002
View Original AbstractPeople living within 300 meters of cell towers reported significantly more health symptoms than those farther away.
Plain English Summary
French researchers surveyed 530 people living at various distances from cell phone towers to assess health complaints. They found that people living within 300 meters of towers reported significantly more symptoms including fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, and depression compared to those living farther away. Women experienced more symptoms than men, and the closer people lived to the towers, the more severe their health complaints became.
Why This Matters
This 2002 study represents one of the earliest systematic investigations into health effects near cell towers, and its findings remain remarkably consistent with subsequent research. The dose-response relationship the researchers documented - where symptoms increased as distance from towers decreased - is particularly compelling evidence. What makes this study significant is that it examined real-world exposure conditions rather than laboratory settings, capturing the actual experience of people living in proximity to this infrastructure. The 300-meter safety distance the authors recommended is far greater than current regulatory guidelines in most countries, which focus solely on thermal effects and ignore the biological impacts this study documented. The gender differences observed align with other EMF research showing women may be more sensitive to radiofrequency exposure, possibly due to hormonal factors or differences in cellular repair mechanisms.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
A survey study using questionnaire was conducted in 530 people (270 men, 260 women) living or not in vicinity of cellular phone base stations, on 18 Non Specific Health Symptoms.
Comparisons of complaints frequencies (CHI-SQUARE test with Yates correction) in relation with dista...
This first study on symptoms experienced by people living in vicinity of base stations shows that, in view of radioprotection, minimal distance of people from cellular phone base stations should not be < 300 m.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2002_study_of_the_health_2565,
author = {Santini R and Santini P and Danze JM and Le Ruz P and Seigne M.},
title = {Study of the health of people living in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations: I. Influence of distance and sex.},
year = {2002},
url = {http://www.bargainorgonite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Study_of_the_health_of_people_living_in_the_vicinity_of_mobile_phone_base_stations_Influences_of_distance_and_sex.pdf},
}