EMF Research Studies

Luo, A. Zhan, J. Ren, H. Qin, and Y

Tian L, Y. · 2022

Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on circadian rhythm control in mice.

Lundberg L, Sienkiewicz Z, Anthony DC, Broom KA. · 2019

Researchers exposed male C57BL/6J mice for 30 min to 50 Hz magnetic fields at 580 μT, blue LED light at 700 lux, both, or neither, to test whether power frequency magnetic fields can influence circadian rhythm control. The magnetic fields did not modulate the response to light and had no significant effect on adrenal markers on their own, though they were associated with a decrease in locomotor activity (P < 0.03). Gene expression of cry1 and cry2 in the adrenals, liver, and hippocampus was not affected by any of the exposures (P > 0.05).

Effects of the Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on NMDA-Receptor Gene Expression and Visual Working Memory in Male Rhesus Macaques.

Kazemi M et al. · 2018

Researchers exposed male rhesus macaques to extremely low frequency magnetic fields at 0.7 μT for 4 hours per day over 30 consecutive days, at either 1 Hz or 12 Hz. Visual working memory scores and plasma melatonin levels increased significantly in the animals exposed to 12 Hz, but not in those exposed to 1 Hz. NMDA receptor gene expression also increased at 12 Hz exposure, while hippocampal volume did not increase significantly at either frequency.

Acute effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field emitted by mobile phone on brain function.

Zhang J, Sumich A, Wang GY. · 2017

The review focuses on recent neuroimaging and electroencephalography studies to analyze effects of MP EMF exposure on neurocognitive function. Several studies indicate an increase in cortical excitability and/or efficiency with EMF exposure, more prominent in fronto-temporal regions and associated with faster reaction time. Cortical excitability might also underpin disruption to sleep. However, several inconsistent findings exist and conclusions regarding adverse effects of EMF exposure are currently limited.

Modeled and Perceived Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields From Mobile-Phone Base Stations and the Development of Symptoms Over Time in a General Population Cohort.

Martens AL et al. · 2017

Mobile phone use, school electromagnetic field levels and related symptoms: a cross-sectional survey among 2150 high school students in Izmir.

Durusoy R, Hassoy H, Özkurt A, Karababa AO. · 2017

Headache, fatigue, and sleep disturbances were reported 1.90, 1.78, and 1.53 times more often among mobile phone users. Dose-response relationships were found for call frequency, call duration, text message frequency, phone position at night, and charging while calling with symptoms such as headache, concentration difficulties, fatigue, sleep disturbances, ear warming, and flushing. No association was found between school EMF levels and symptoms, while limited associations were seen for proximity to base stations. Data were collected via questionnaire and EMF measurements from November 2009 to April 2011 using an Aaronia Spectran HF-4060 device.

Mitochondrial DNA damage and oxidative damage in HL-60 cells exposed to 900MHz radiofrequency fields.

Sun Y, Zong L, Gao Z, Zhu S, Tong J, Cao Y · 2017

Researchers exposed HL-60 human leukemia cells to continuous 900MHz radiofrequency fields at 120μW/cm² for 4 hours per day over 5 consecutive days. Exposed cells had significantly increased reactive oxygen species and decreased mitochondrial transcription factor A, mtDNA polymerase gamma, mtDNA transcripts, and mtDNA copy number compared to sham-exposed controls. Exposed cells also showed a significant increase in the oxidative damage marker 8-OHdG and a significant decrease in ATP. Pretreating cells with melatonin, a free radical scavenger, reversed the effects seen in RF-exposed cells.

The effect of local extremely low frequency magnetic field on student sleepiness.

Ayoobi F, Shamsizadeh A, Shafiei SA. · 2017

This study investigated the impact of local extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on sleep and drowsiness in healthy young adults. Minimum reaction time after exposure increased significantly compared to before exposure (P = 0.03), while the mean of the SSS scores was no different compared to that before exposure.

Disturbed sleep in individuals with Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF): Melatonin assessment as a biological marker.

Andrianome S et al. · 2016

Researchers compared melatonin levels in 30 individuals with IEI-EMF and 25 controls without electromagnetic exposure. The IEI-EMF group had significantly lower sleep scores than controls. Saliva melatonin and urine aMT6s levels did not differ between groups. Three questionnaires evaluated sleep quality and quantity, melatonin was quantified in saliva and its metabolite aMT6s in urine, and levels were compared by two-way ANOVA at various times.

Effect of electromagnetic radiations from mobile phone base stations on general health and salivary function.

Singh K et al. · 2016

The study aimed to compare health complaints and salivary flow rates between populations living near and far from mobile phone base stations in Jaipur, India. Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and other health problems were recorded via questionnaire. A majority of residents near the base stations reported sleep disturbances, headache, dizziness, irritability, concentration difficulties, and hypertension. Stimulated salivary secretion was significantly lower in the exposed group compared to controls (P < 0.01). The authors concluded that prolonged exposure effects cannot be ruled out and further studies are warranted.

Neuroprotective effects of melatonin and omega-3 on hippocampal cells prenatally exposed to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields

Erdem Koç G et al. · 2016

Researchers established seven groups of pregnant rats and exposed some to 900 MHz EMF for 60 minutes per day during the gestation period. After birth, male rat pups were selected and the total number of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal region was counted using the optical fractionator technique. The total number of pyramidal cells in the EMF group was significantly lower than in the control, sham, EMF plus melatonin, and EMF plus omega-3 groups. No difference was observed between any groups in terms of rats' body or brain weights.

Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Adolescents in Relation to Mobile Phone Use during Night.

Schoeni A, Roser K, Röösli M. · 2015

In a cross-sectional study, 439 adolescents completed questionnaires about mobile phone use at night and health, and 233 provided operator-recorded use data. Standardized computerized cognitive tests assessed memory and concentration capacity. Adolescents who reported being awakened at least once a month had higher odds of daytime tiredness (OR 1.86) and rapid exhaustibility (OR 2.28). Similar associations were seen with objective operator-recorded data for tiredness (OR 1.63) and rapid exhaustibility (OR 2.32). Cognitive test performance was not related to nighttime mobile phone use.

Effect of occupational EMF exposure from radar at two different frequency bands on plasma melatonin and serotonin levels.

Singh S, Mani KV, Kapoor N. · 2015

Bedtime mobile phone use and sleep in adults.

Exelmans L, Van den Bulck J. · 2015

The effect of melatonin on the liver of rats exposed to microwave radiation

Djordjevic B et al. · 2015

Researchers studied whether melatonin treatment (2 mg/kg) might favorably impact liver tissue in rats exposed to microwave radiation. The experiment used 84 six-weeks-old Wistar male rats exposed for 4 hours a day to microwaves at 900 MHz for 20, 40, and 60 days. Microwave exposure increased malondialdehyde after 40 days, protein carbonyl content after 20 days, and catalase and xanthine oxidase activity after 40 days. Melatonin reduced malondialdehyde after 40 days but had no effect on the other analyzed parameters.

Circadian Rhythmicity of Antioxidant Markers in Rats Exposed to 1.8 GHz Radiofrequency Fields

Cao H, Qin F, Liu X, Wang J, Cao Y, Tong J, Zhao H · 2015

Researchers exposed male Sprague Dawley rats to 1.8 GHz radiofrequency fields at different times of day to study whether circadian rhythms of plasma antioxidants were affected. Six groups of animals were exposed at a power density of 201.7 μW/cm2 and a specific absorption rate of 0.05653 W/kg for 2 hours per day for 32 consecutive days, each at a different time of day, while a seventh group served as sham-exposed controls. The circadian rhythms of melatonin, GSH-Px, and SOD were shifted in exposed rats, with levels significantly decreased when exposure was given at 23 and 3 h GMT. The researchers concluded that there may be adverse effects of radiofrequency exposure on antioxidant function, affecting both daily antioxidant levels and circadian rhythmicity.

Inter‐individual and intra‐individual variation of the effects of pulsed RF EMF exposure on the human sleep EEG

Lustenberger et al. · 2015

The study investigated how much variation exists between individuals and within the same individual in response to pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure during sleep. The EEG analysis showed exposure-related increases in the delta-theta frequency range at several fronto-central electrodes, but no differences in the spindle frequency range. Reproducible within-subject effects on sleep spindle and delta-theta activity were not observed, and it remained unclear whether a biological trait of how subjects' brains react to RF EMF exists.

Effects of mobile phone exposure (GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS) on polysomnography based sleep quality: An intra- and inter-individual perspective

Danker-Hopfe H et al. · 2015

Researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled cross-over study to examine whether electromagnetic fields from GSM 900 and WCDMA/UMTS devices affected sleep. Thirty healthy young men between 18 and 30 years old were each exposed three times per exposure condition while their sleep was recorded. The only consistent finding across individuals was an increase of stage R sleep under GSM 900 MHz exposure in 9 of 30 subjects and under WCDMA/UMTS exposure in 10 of 30 subjects.

Modeling of EEG electrode artifacts and thermal ripples in human radiofrequency exposure studies.

Murbach et al. · 2014

Researchers evaluated three hypotheses about how radiofrequency exposure could affect EEG by using numerical simulations and experimental assessments with phantoms and anatomical human models. They found that induced fields cause less than a 20% increase in 10 g-averaged SAR, that worst-case electrode placement raises skin temperature by at most 0.31 °C and brain temperature by less than 0.1 °C, and that temperature ripples from RF pulses are below 0.001 °C for GSM-like signals and below 0.004 °C for higher pulse energy. These local short-term temperature elevations are unlikely to change brain physiology during the time period from minutes to several hours after exposure. Thus, the mechanism of interaction between RF and changes in the EEG power spectrum remains unknown.

TXT Me I'm Only Sleeping: Adolescents With Mobile Phones in Their Bedroom.

Adachi-Mejia AM et al. · 2014

The study aimed to determine if mobile phones interfere with adolescent sleep, and researchers conducted a pilot test in a pediatric primary care practice with 454 patients aged 12 to 20 years, half female, attending a well-child visit. Adolescents completed paper-and-pencil surveys in the waiting room. More than half took their mobile phone to bed (62.9%) and kept it turned on while sleeping (56.8%). More than one-third texted after going to bed (36.7%), and 7.9% were awakened by a text two or more times per week. Almost half used their phone as their alarm (45.7%).

Sleep quality and general health status of employees exposed to extremely low frequency magnetic fields in a petrochemical complex.

Monazzam MR et al. · 2014

Researchers measured magnetic flux density in a control building and two substations according to IEEE standard 644-1994. They used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and General Health Quality questionnaires to assess sleep quality and public health in 40 workers. In the case group, 28% had poor health status and 61% had a sleep disorder, while all control group members were in good health and only 4.5% had undesirable sleep quality. A significant difference existed between groups in sleep quality and general health, but no significant relationship was found between exposure level and these outcomes. Measured EMF values were below ACGIH limits, and the authors recommended further epidemiological studies and periodic testing.

Occupational Electromagnetic Field Exposures Associated with Sleep Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Liu H et al. · 2014

Melatonin protects rat cerebellar granule cells against electromagnetic field-induced increases in Na+ currents through intracellular Ca2+ release.

Liu DD, Ren Z, Yang G, Zhao QR, Mei YA. · 2014

Researchers exposed rat cerebellar granule cells to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields for 60 minutes and measured sodium channel currents. ELF-EMF exposure significantly increased Nav current densities by 62.5 percent. Melatonin at 5 μM inhibited this ELF-EMF-induced increase in sodium currents. The protective effect of melatonin involved MT2 receptors and calcium release triggered by calcium influx.

Mobile usage and sleep patterns among medical students.

Yogesh S, Abha S, Priyanka S. · 2014

The study enrolled 100 medical students divided into cases with more than two hours of daily mobile phone use (n=57) and controls with two hours or less (n=43), and assessed sleep quality using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Differences between groups were tested with the Mann-Whitney U test and Student's t-test, and correlations were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation with significance set at p<0.05. Evening mobile phone use showed a significant negative association with sleep quality (r=-0.606, p=0.042), where higher PSQI scores indicate worse sleep.

Circadian alterations of reproductive functional markers in male rats exposed to 1800-MHz radiofrequency field.

Qin F et al. · 2014