An old issue and a new look: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity caused by radiations emitted by GSM mobile phones.
Mortazavi SM, Mahbudi A, Atefi M, Bagheri Sh, Bahaedini N, Besharati A · 2011
View Original AbstractPeople claiming electromagnetic hypersensitivity cannot reliably detect cell phone radiation exposure, suggesting psychological rather than physiological causes for their symptoms.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested whether people who claim to be sensitive to cell phone radiation can actually detect when they're being exposed to it. They studied 20 university students who reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity, exposing them to real and fake cell phone radiation while monitoring their vital signs. Only 25% could tell the difference between real and fake exposure (no better than random chance), and their heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure showed no changes during actual radiation exposure.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the ongoing debate about electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). The reality is that while some people genuinely experience symptoms they attribute to EMF exposure, the science consistently shows they cannot reliably detect when they're actually being exposed to radiation. What this means for you is that EHS symptoms, while real and distressing for those who experience them, likely have psychological rather than physiological origins. The researchers found that where people held their phones during calls correlated with symptom severity, suggesting that proximity awareness may influence symptom reporting. This doesn't diminish the genuine distress people with EHS experience, but it does suggest that EMF reduction alone may not be the complete solution to their symptoms.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: GSM mobile phones
Study Details
As our previous study was based only on self-reported symptoms this double-blind study was designed to answer two basic questions. Firstly, are self-reported hypersensitive individuals capable of sensing whether there is a real/sham microwave exposure? Secondly, do hypersensitive patients show alterations in their biological parameters such as heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure during microwave exposure?
The study consisted of a preliminary screening phase and two subsequent complementary phases. In the...
Among self-reported symptoms reported in our previous study, in this study only problem in concentra...
Our findings clearly confirm the results obtained inother provocative studies. These data also indicate the possible role of psychological factors in electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
Show BibTeX
@article{sm_2011_an_old_issue_and_2431,
author = {Mortazavi SM and Mahbudi A and Atefi M and Bagheri Sh and Bahaedini N and Besharati A},
title = {An old issue and a new look: Electromagnetic hypersensitivity caused by radiations emitted by GSM mobile phones.},
year = {2011},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22129944/},
}