Effect of a single 30 min UMTS mobile phone-like exposure on the thermal pain threshold of young healthy volunteers.
Vecsei Z, Csathó A, Thuróczy G, Hernádi I. · 2013
View Original AbstractThirty minutes of cell phone-level radiation altered pain processing in healthy adults, disrupting normal nervous system responses.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 20 healthy adults to cell phone radiation for 30 minutes, then tested pain sensitivity using heat on their fingers. The radiation reduced the body's normal ability to adapt to repeated pain, suggesting cell phone signals can interfere with nervous system pain processing.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that radiofrequency radiation at levels typical of cell phone use can alter fundamental nervous system functions. The SAR level of 1.75 W/kg used here is well within the range of everyday cell phone exposure (most phones emit between 0.5-1.6 W/kg). What makes this particularly significant is that the researchers found changes in pain processing on the opposite side of the body from where the radiation was applied, suggesting the effects aren't just local heating but involve broader neurological changes. The fact that normal pain desensitization was disrupted indicates EMF exposure may interfere with the nervous system's ability to adapt to stimuli. While this was a single 30-minute exposure, it raises important questions about what chronic exposure might mean for pain sensitivity and neurological function. The research adds to a growing body of evidence showing that current safety standards, which only consider heating effects, may not adequately protect against biological impacts on the nervous system.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.75 W/kg
- Exposure Duration
- 30 minutes
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
In the present study, therefore, we tested the effects of third generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RF EMF exposure on the thermal pain threshold (TPT) measured on the surface of the fingers of 20 young adult volunteers.
The protocol was initially validated with a topical capsaicin treatment. The exposure time was 30 mi...
Compared to the control and sham conditions, the results provide evidence for intact TPT but a reduc...
The present results provide pioneering information about human pain sensation in relation to RF EMF exposure and thus may contribute to cover the existing gap between safety research and applied biomedical science targeting the potential biological effects of environmental RF EMFs.
Show BibTeX
@article{z_2013_effect_of_a_single_1406,
author = {Vecsei Z and Csathó A and Thuróczy G and Hernádi I.},
title = {Effect of a single 30 min UMTS mobile phone-like exposure on the thermal pain threshold of young healthy volunteers.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23787775/},
}