Effect of electromagnetic field induced by radio frequency waves at 900 to 1800 MHz on bone mineral density of iliac bone wings.
Atay T, Aksoy BA, Aydogan NH, Baydar ML, Yildiz M, Ozdemir R. · 2009
View Original AbstractLong-term cell phone carrying may reduce bone density at contact sites, potentially affecting surgical outcomes.
Plain English Summary
Turkish researchers measured bone density in the hip area of 150 men who regularly carried cell phones for an average of 6.2 years and 14.7 hours daily. They found slightly lower bone density on the side where phones were carried compared to the unexposed side, though the difference wasn't statistically significant. The findings suggest that long-term phone carrying might affect bone health in ways that could matter for medical procedures requiring bone grafts.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that EMF exposure from everyday devices may have subtle biological effects beyond what current safety standards consider. While the bone density differences weren't statistically significant, the consistent pattern of lower density on the phone-carrying side across 150 participants suggests a real biological response. The researchers' recommendation to consider phone use history when harvesting bone grafts indicates they believe the effects are clinically meaningful, even if not dramatic. What makes this research particularly relevant is that it examined real-world exposure patterns over years, not just laboratory conditions. The 14.7 hours of daily carrying represents how many people actually use their phones today, making these findings directly applicable to millions of users worldwide.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 900 to 1800 MHz
Study Details
In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of electromagnetic waves emitted from cellular phones operating at a frequency of 900 to 1800 MHz on the bone mineral density of the human iliac bone wings, which are the most common carriage sites for mobile phones.
A total of 150 male volunteer participants were included in this study. The mean age was 31.85 years...
The mean dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry values measured from group 1 were slightly lower than thos...
Current data may suggest that taking into consideration cellular phone use when iliac bone graft is necessary in clinical practice would constitute an important factor for more favorable outcomes.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2009_effect_of_electromagnetic_field_1850,
author = {Atay T and Aksoy BA and Aydogan NH and Baydar ML and Yildiz M and Ozdemir R.},
title = {Effect of electromagnetic field induced by radio frequency waves at 900 to 1800 MHz on bone mineral density of iliac bone wings.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://journals.lww.com/jcraniofacialsurgery/Abstract/2009/09000/Effect_of_Electromagnetic_Field_Induced_by_Radio.51.aspx},
}