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Symptoms & Sensitivity

Effects of short-term W-CDMA mobile phone base station exposure on women with or without mobile phone related symptoms

No Effects Found

Furubayashi T, Ushiyama A, Terao Y, Mizuno Y, Shirasawa K, Pongpaibool P, Simba AY, Wake K, Nishikawa M, Miyawaki K, Yasuda A, Uchiyama M, Yamashita HK, Masuda H, Hirota S, Takahashi M, Okano T, Inomata-Terada S, Sokejima S, Maruyama E, Watanabe S, Taki M, Ohkubo C, Ugawa Y. · 2009

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People reporting electromagnetic sensitivity couldn't detect cell tower radiation better than controls, suggesting symptoms aren't directly caused by EMF exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Japanese researchers exposed 54 women to cell tower-like radio waves for 30 minutes to test whether people who report mobile phone sensitivity can actually detect electromagnetic fields. They found that sensitive individuals couldn't tell when they were being exposed any better than control subjects, but they consistently reported more discomfort regardless of whether the EMF was on or off. This suggests that electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms aren't directly caused by the radio waves themselves.

Why This Matters

This carefully controlled double-blind study addresses one of the most contentious questions in EMF research: whether people who report electromagnetic hypersensitivity are actually responding to the fields themselves. The researchers used exposure levels of 10 V/m, which is significantly higher than typical cell tower exposure (usually under 1 V/m in most locations). What makes this study particularly valuable is its rigorous methodology - subjects couldn't distinguish real from fake exposure, yet the sensitive group consistently reported more symptoms in both conditions. This pattern suggests the symptoms are real but may stem from factors other than direct EMF exposure, such as anxiety or other environmental triggers. The reality is that this doesn't invalidate the suffering of people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, but it does challenge the assumption that radio waves are the direct cause. What this means for you is that if you experience these symptoms, focusing solely on EMF avoidance may not address the root cause.

Exposure Details

Electric Field
10 V/m
Source/Device
2.14 GHz W-CDMA
Exposure Duration
30 min

Exposure Context

This study used 10 V/m for electric fields:

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.

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.14 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.14 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

To investigate possible health effects of mobile phone use, we conducted a double-blind, cross-over provocation study to confirm whether subjects with mobile phone related symptoms (MPRS) are more susceptible than control subjects to the effect of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted from base stations.

We sent questionnaires to 5,000 women and obtained 2,472 valid responses from possible candidates; f...

The MPRS group did not differ from the controls in their ability to detect exposure to EMF; neverthe...

In conclusion, we found no evidence of any causal link between hypersensitivity symptoms and exposure to EMF from base stations.

Cite This Study
Furubayashi T, Ushiyama A, Terao Y, Mizuno Y, Shirasawa K, Pongpaibool P, Simba AY, Wake K, Nishikawa M, Miyawaki K, Yasuda A, Uchiyama M, Yamashita HK, Masuda H, Hirota S, Takahashi M, Okano T, Inomata-Terada S, Sokejima S, Maruyama E, Watanabe S, Taki M, Ohkubo C, Ugawa Y. (2009). Effects of short-term W-CDMA mobile phone base station exposure on women with or without mobile phone related symptoms Bioelectromagnetics. 30(2):100-113, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2009_effects_of_shortterm_wcdma_2866,
  author = {Furubayashi T and Ushiyama A and Terao Y and Mizuno Y and Shirasawa K and Pongpaibool P and Simba AY and Wake K and Nishikawa M and Miyawaki K and Yasuda A and Uchiyama M and Yamashita HK and Masuda H and Hirota S and Takahashi M and Okano T and Inomata-Terada S and Sokejima S and Maruyama E and Watanabe S and Taki M and Ohkubo C and Ugawa Y.},
  title = {Effects of short-term W-CDMA mobile phone base station exposure on women with or without mobile phone related symptoms},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20446},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20446},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20446

Cited By (60 papers)

View all 60 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2009 Japanese study found no causal link between cell tower radiation and electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms. People who reported mobile phone sensitivity couldn't detect when they were being exposed to radio waves any better than control subjects, suggesting symptoms aren't directly caused by the radiation itself.
Research on 2.14 GHz W-CDMA radiation found no evidence it's harmful to electromagnetically sensitive individuals. A controlled study of 54 women showed that sensitive people experienced discomfort regardless of whether radiation was present, indicating symptoms aren't triggered by the electromagnetic fields themselves.
A 30-minute exposure study found cell phone base station radiation doesn't significantly affect women's health or comfort levels. Both sensitive and non-sensitive women showed no detectable physiological changes or ability to sense when electromagnetic fields were actually present versus turned off.
Japanese researchers found no measurable health risks from short-term W-CDMA radiation exposure in women. The study showed no significant effects on psychological, cognitive, or autonomic nervous system functions, even among people who report being sensitive to electromagnetic fields.
Mobile phone radiation doesn't appear to directly impact electromagnetic sensitivity symptoms. A controlled study revealed that people claiming sensitivity couldn't actually detect radiation exposure, but reported discomfort equally whether electromagnetic fields were on or off, suggesting psychological rather than physical triggers.