6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body

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

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

View Original Abstract
Share:

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.

Why This Matters

This study addresses a critical question in EMF health research: whether people who report electromagnetic hypersensitivity actually experience measurable effects when exposed to cell tower signals. The exposure level used (10 mW/m²) represents typical environmental exposure from base stations, making these findings relevant to everyday life. While the study found no acute cognitive or physiological effects during 50-minute exposures, it's important to note this research only examined short-term impacts. The reality is that we're exposed to these signals continuously, often for years or decades, and this study cannot speak to potential long-term effects. What this means for you is that while acute cognitive impairment from cell tower exposure appears unlikely based on this evidence, questions about chronic, cumulative effects remain unanswered.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.001 mW/cm²
Source/Device
900–1,800 MHz and 2,020 MHz
Exposure Duration
continuous for 50 min

Exposure Context

This study used 0.001 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.001 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 1,000 times higher than this level
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

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.