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The effect of mobile phone to audiologic system.

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Kerekhanjanarong V, Supiyaphun P, Naratricoon J, Laungpitackchumpon P. · 2005

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Heavy mobile phone users (over 60 minutes daily) showed worse hearing in their phone ear compared to their non-phone ear.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers at Chulalongkorn University tested hearing in 98 mobile phone users, comparing the ear they typically held their phone to versus their non-phone ear. While most users showed no hearing differences between ears, the 8 people who used their phones more than 60 minutes daily had worse hearing thresholds in their phone ear compared to their non-phone ear.

Why This Matters

This study provides early evidence that heavy mobile phone use may affect hearing, particularly for those exceeding one hour of daily talk time. What makes this research compelling is its direct comparison approach - using each person's non-phone ear as their own control, which eliminates individual variations in hearing ability. The finding that only heavy users (over 60 minutes daily) showed hearing differences suggests a dose-response relationship, where more exposure correlates with greater effect. While the sample of heavy users was small (just 8 people), this pattern aligns with other research showing that EMF biological effects often emerge with higher exposure levels. For context, many smartphone users today far exceed 60 minutes of daily screen time, though much of this involves texting and apps rather than voice calls held directly to the ear.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 3 to 180 mins

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate The effect of mobile phone to audiologic system.

98 subjects underwent hearing evaluations at Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, King...

When the authors compared the audiogram, both pure tone and speech audiometry, between the dominant ...

Cite This Study
Kerekhanjanarong V, Supiyaphun P, Naratricoon J, Laungpitackchumpon P. (2005). The effect of mobile phone to audiologic system. J Med Assoc Thai.88 Suppl 4:S231-234, 2005.
Show BibTeX
@article{v_2005_the_effect_of_mobile_2267,
  author = {Kerekhanjanarong V and Supiyaphun P and Naratricoon J and Laungpitackchumpon P.},
  title = {The effect of mobile phone to audiologic system.},
  year = {2005},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16623034/},
}
PubMed: 16623034

Cited By (27 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2005 Chulalongkorn University study found that people who used mobile phones over 60 minutes daily showed worse hearing thresholds in their phone ear compared to their non-phone ear. However, most users under 60 minutes showed no hearing differences between ears.
Research on 98 mobile phone users found that heavy users (over 60 minutes daily) had worse hearing in their dominant phone ear versus their non-phone ear. Light users showed no significant hearing differences between their phone and non-phone ears.
A study of 98 mobile phone users found the 60-minute daily threshold was critical. Only the 8 participants who used phones over 60 minutes daily showed measurably worse hearing thresholds in their phone ear compared to their non-phone ear.
Researchers used pure tone and speech audiometry tests to compare hearing between phone and non-phone ears. Heavy users (over 60 minutes daily) showed worse hearing thresholds in their phone ear, while lighter users showed no significant differences.
No, most cell phone users don't develop hearing problems. A 2005 study of 98 users found no significant hearing differences between phone and non-phone ears for typical users, only for the small group using phones over 60 minutes daily.