Exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields and behavioural problems in Bavarian children and adolescents.
Thomas S, Heinrich S, von Kries R, Radon K · 2010
View Original AbstractAdolescents with highest everyday RF exposure showed double the behavioral problems, even at levels far below safety limits.
Plain English Summary
German researchers studied over 3,000 children and teens, measuring their actual radiofrequency EMF exposure from cell towers and wireless networks over 24 hours using personal dosimeters. They found that adolescents with the highest RF exposure levels were more than twice as likely to show behavioral problems, particularly conduct issues like aggression or rule-breaking. The exposure levels were well below safety limits, suggesting behavioral effects may occur at everyday environmental levels.
Why This Matters
This study stands out because it used personal dosimeters to measure actual RF exposure rather than relying on estimates or proximity to cell towers. The reality is that even at exposure levels far below regulatory limits, researchers documented significant behavioral changes in adolescents. The 2.2-fold increase in overall behavioral problems and nearly 4-fold increase in conduct problems represents substantial effects that warrant serious attention. What makes this particularly concerning is that we're talking about everyday environmental exposures from the wireless infrastructure that surrounds us. While the researchers appropriately call for more studies, the evidence demonstrates measurable neurological impacts in developing brains at real-world exposure levels. You don't have to wait for perfect certainty to take reasonable precautions, especially when it comes to children's developing nervous systems.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
We aimed to investigate a possible association between measured exposure to RF EMF fields and behavioural problems in children and adolescents.
1,498 children and 1,524 adolescents were randomly selected from the population registries of four B...
Seven percent of the children and 5% of the adolescents showed an abnormal mental behaviour. In the ...
As this is one of the first studies that investigated an association between exposure to mobile telecommunication networks and mental health behaviour more studies using personal dosimetry are warranted to confirm these findings.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2010_exposure_to_radiofrequency_electromagnetic_1538,
author = {Thomas S and Heinrich S and von Kries R and Radon K},
title = {Exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields and behavioural problems in Bavarian children and adolescents.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10654-009-9408-x},
}