Assessment of intermittent UMTS electromagnetic field effects on blood circulation in the human auditory region using a near-infrared system
Spichtig S, Scholkmann F, Chin L, Lehmann H, Wolf M · 2012
View Original Abstract3G radiation caused measurable brain blood flow changes within 80 seconds at levels typical of cell phone use.
Plain English Summary
Swiss researchers measured brain blood flow in 16 people exposed to 3G cell phone radiation. Even low-level exposure increased blood oxygen levels within 80 seconds, while higher levels also raised heart rate. The changes were small but measurable, showing cell phones can alter brain circulation.
Why This Matters
This study stands out because it captured EMF effects in real-time during actual exposure, eliminating the guesswork that plagues much EMF research. The researchers used SAR levels of 0.18 and 1.8 W/kg, which bracket typical cell phone exposures (the FCC limit is 1.6 W/kg). What's particularly noteworthy is that effects occurred at the lower exposure level, well below regulatory limits. The fact that researchers detected measurable changes in brain blood flow within 80 seconds demonstrates how quickly our biology responds to radiofrequency radiation. While the study authors characterized these as 'small' effects, any measurable biological change from EMF exposure challenges the prevailing assumption that non-thermal effects don't exist. The reality is that your brain's blood circulation responds immediately when you hold a phone to your head, and this Swiss research provides the real-time evidence to prove it.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.18, 1.8 W/kg
- Source/Device
- UMTS-EMF
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of the present study was to assess the potential effects of intermittent Universal Mobile Telecommunications System electromagnetic fields (UMTS‐EMF) on blood circulation in the human head (auditory region) using near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) on two different timescales: short‐term (effects occurring within 80 s) and medium‐term (effects occurring within 80 s to 30 min).
For the first time, we measured potential immediate effects of UMTS‐EMF in real‐time without any int...
During exposure to 0.18 W/kg, we found a significant short‐term increase in Δ[O2Hb] and Δ[tHb], whic...
Our results suggest that intermittent exposure to UMTS‐EMF has small short‐ and medium‐term effects on cerebral blood circulation and HR
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2012_assessment_of_intermittent_umts_191,
author = {Spichtig S and Scholkmann F and Chin L and Lehmann H and Wolf M},
title = {Assessment of intermittent UMTS electromagnetic field effects on blood circulation in the human auditory region using a near-infrared system},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20682},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20682},
}