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Exposure to mobile telecommunication networks assessed using personal dosimetry and well-being in children and adolescents: the German MobilEe-study.

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Thomas S, Kühnlein A, Heinrich S, Praml G, von Kries R, Radon K. · 2008

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The median exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields was 0.18% of the ICNIRP reference level for children and 0.19% for adolescents.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers randomly selected a population-based sample of children and adolescents from population registries in four Bavarian cities and towns for a study with a 52% response rate. Each participant wore a dosimeter for 24 hours to measure exposure across three mobile phone frequency ranges, and waking-hour exposure was expressed as a percentage of the ICNIRP reference level. The median exposure was 0.18% of the ICNIRP reference level for children and 0.19% for adolescents, and personal dosimetry proved to be a well-accepted tool for such epidemiologic studies.

Why This Matters

The study aimed to determine exposure to mobile telecommunication networks using personal dosimetry and to assess well-being in children and adolescents. During computer-assisted personal interviews, data on well-being, socio-demographic characteristics, and potential confounders were collected, and acute symptoms were recorded three times during the study day. Parents and adolescents with higher education who owned a mobile phone and were interested in possible adverse health effects were more likely to participate than non-participants.

Exposure Details

Electric Field
0.05 V/m

Study Details

The aim of this study was to determine Exposure to mobile telecommunication networks assessed using personal dosimetry and well-being in children and adolescents: the German MobilEe-study.

We investigated a possible association between exposure to mobile telecommunication networks and wel...

In comparison to non-participants, parents and adolescents with a higher level of education who poss...

In comparison to previous studies this is one of the first to assess the individual level of exposure to mobile telecommunication networks using personal dosimetry, enabling objective assessment of exposure from all sources and longer measurement periods. In total, personal dosimetry was proofed to be a well accepted tool to study exposure to mobile phone frequencies in epidemiologic studies including health effects on children and adolescents.

Cite This Study
Thomas S, Kühnlein A, Heinrich S, Praml G, von Kries R, Radon K. (2008). Exposure to mobile telecommunication networks assessed using personal dosimetry and well-being in children and adolescents: the German MobilEe-study. Environ Health. 7(1):54, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2008_exposure_to_mobile_telecommunication_1359,
  author = {Thomas S and Kühnlein A and Heinrich S and Praml G and von Kries R and Radon K.},
  title = {Exposure to mobile telecommunication networks assessed using personal dosimetry and well-being in children and adolescents: the German MobilEe-study.},
  year = {2008},
  doi = {10.1186/1476-069X-7-54},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1476-069X-7-54},
}
DOI: 10.1186/1476-069X-7-54

Cited By (83 papers)

View all 83 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The median exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields was 0.18% of the ICNIRP reference level for children and 0.19% for adolescents.
Participants wore a dosimeter (ESM-140 Maschek Electronics) for 24 hours that recorded exposure every second across three mobile phone frequency ranges, with a limit of determination of 0.05 V/m.
The study assembled a population-based sample of children and adolescents randomly selected from population registries in four Bavarian cities and towns, with a 52% response rate.
Well-being data were collected during a computer-assisted personal interview, and acute symptoms were assessed three times during the study day (morning, noon, evening).
Personal dosimetry proved to be a well-accepted tool for studying exposure to mobile phone frequencies in epidemiologic studies including health effects on children and adolescents.