Effects of short-term radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on teenagers and adults.
Choi SB, Kwon MK, Chung JW, Park JS, Chung K, Kim DW. · 2014
View Original Abstract32 minutes of 3G phone radiation showed no immediate effects on heart function in adults and teens.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 26 adults and 26 teenagers to radiation from 3G mobile phones for 32 minutes, measuring heart rate, breathing, and other body functions. The study found no significant changes in heart function, nervous system activity, or symptoms in either age group during exposure. This suggests that short-term exposure to 3G phone radiation at typical levels doesn't immediately affect basic body functions.
Why This Matters
This study addresses a critical question about 3G phone radiation effects on both adults and teenagers, using a well-designed double-blind approach with real physiological measurements. The 1.57 W/kg SAR level tested is close to regulatory limits and represents realistic phone usage scenarios. While the researchers found no acute effects during 32 minutes of exposure, this study only examined immediate responses in healthy volunteers. The reality is that EMF health effects research consistently shows that biological impacts often emerge with longer-term exposure or in vulnerable populations. What this means for you is that while your phone likely won't cause immediate heart rhythm changes during a single call, this single study doesn't address the cumulative effects of daily, long-term exposure that most of us experience.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.57 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1950 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 32 min.
Exposure Context
This study used 1.57 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3.9x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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 Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Effects of short-term radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on teenagers and adults.
In this double-blind study, two volunteer groups of 26 adults and 26 teenagers were simultaneously i...
Short-term WCDMA RF-EMFs generated no significant changes in ANS, subjective symptoms or the percent...
Considering the analyzed physiological data, the subjective symptoms surveyed, and the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed, 32 min of RF radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones demonstrated no effects in either adult or teenager subjects.
Show BibTeX
@article{sb_2014_effects_of_shortterm_radiation_904,
author = {Choi SB and Kwon MK and Chung JW and Park JS and Chung K and Kim DW.},
title = {Effects of short-term radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on teenagers and adults.},
year = {2014},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24886241/},
}