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Brain & Nervous System

Short‐term exposure to mobile phone base station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls

No Effects Found

Eltiti S, Wallace D, Ridgewell A, Zougkou K, Russo R, Sepulveda F, Fox E · 2009

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Short-term cell tower exposure at typical environmental levels showed no measurable effects on brain function or physical responses.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed 88 people (including those who claimed to be sensitive to electromagnetic fields) to cell tower signals for 50 minutes while they performed memory and attention tests. The study found no effects on cognitive performance or physiological measures like heart rate and skin conductance in either sensitive or control participants. This suggests that short-term exposure to typical cell tower radiation levels doesn't impair brain function or cause detectable physical responses.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz - 2.02 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHz - 2.02 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 900–1,800 MHz and 2,020 MHz Duration: continuous for 50 min

Study Details

The aim of the present study was to clarify whether short‐term (50 min) exposure at 10 mW/m2 to typical Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) base station signals affects attention, memory, and physiological endpoints in sensitive and control participants

Data from 44 sensitive and 44 matched‐control participants who performed the digit symbol substituti...

Overall, cognitive functioning was not affected by short‐term exposure to either GSM or UMTS signals...

Cite This Study
Eltiti S, Wallace D, Ridgewell A, Zougkou K, Russo R, Sepulveda F, Fox E (2009). Short‐term exposure to mobile phone base station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls Bioelectromagnetics. 30(7):556-563, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2009_shortterm_exposure_to_mobile_2750,
  author = {Eltiti S and Wallace D and Ridgewell A and Zougkou K and Russo R and Sepulveda F and Fox E},
  title = {Short‐term exposure to mobile phone base station signals does not affect cognitive functioning or physiological measures in individuals who report sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and controls},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20504},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20504},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20504

Cited By (40 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2009 study exposed 88 people, including those claiming electromagnetic sensitivity, to cell tower signals for 50 minutes. Neither the sensitive group nor control participants showed any changes in cognitive performance, heart rate, or skin conductance during memory and attention tests.
Research found that 50-minute exposure to GSM and UMTS cell tower signals at 900-1800 MHz and 2020 MHz frequencies did not affect memory or attention performance in 88 participants, including those who reported being electromagnetically sensitive.
A controlled study measuring physiological responses during cell tower signal exposure found no changes in heart rate, blood volume pulse, or skin conductance. The 50-minute exposure to both GSM and UMTS frequencies produced no detectable physical responses.
Scientific testing of people claiming electromagnetic sensitivity showed no difference from control participants when exposed to actual cell tower signals. Both groups performed equally well on cognitive tasks with no physiological changes during 50-minute exposures to multiple frequencies.
Research comparing GSM (900-1800 MHz) and UMTS (2020 MHz) cell tower signals found both frequencies equally safe for cognitive function. Neither signal type affected memory, attention, heart rate, or skin conductance during controlled 50-minute exposure sessions.