Carlberg M, Söderqvist F, Hansson Mild K, Hardell L. · 2013
Swedish researchers studied 709 people with meningiomas (brain tumors that grow on the protective membranes around the brain) to see if mobile and cordless phone use increased their risk. While overall phone use showed no clear link to these tumors, people with the highest usage (over 2,376 hours total) did show some increased risk. The authors concluded there wasn't enough evidence to prove phones cause meningiomas, but noted that longer-term studies are needed.
Byun YH et al. · 2013
Researchers followed 2,422 Korean children for two years to study whether mobile phone use affects ADHD symptoms. They found that children who used mobile phones for voice calls showed increased ADHD symptoms, but only when they also had high levels of lead in their blood. This suggests that exposure to both lead and phone radiation together may worsen attention problems in children.
Benson VS et al. · 2013
British researchers followed nearly 800,000 middle-aged women for 7 years to see if mobile phone use increased their risk of brain tumors and other cancers. They found no increased risk for most brain tumors, including the most common types (glioma and meningioma), but did find that women who used phones for 10+ years had more than double the risk of developing acoustic neuroma, a rare tumor of the hearing nerve. This large study provides mixed evidence about mobile phone safety, with reassurance for most brain cancers but concern for one specific type.
Alsanosi AA et al. · 2013
Researchers tested hearing function in people before and after 60 minutes of mobile phone use, measuring both hearing thresholds and inner ear responses. They found immediate hearing changes at specific frequencies (1000 Hz and 2000 Hz) and inner ear dysfunction, along with symptoms like heat and pain. This demonstrates that even short-term phone use can cause measurable, immediate effects on hearing.
Al-Ali BM, Patzak J, Fischereder K, Pummer K, Shamloul R. · 2013
Researchers compared cell phone usage patterns between 20 men with erectile dysfunction and 10 men without sexual problems. They found that men with erectile dysfunction carried their switched-on phones significantly longer each day (4.4 hours versus 1.8 hours), though total talking time was similar between groups. This pilot study suggests a potential link between prolonged cell phone exposure and male sexual health problems.
Aerts S et al. · 2013
Researchers developed a new method to map cell tower radiation exposure across outdoor urban areas using strategic measurement points and computer modeling. They found that just 70 measurement locations could accurately predict radiation levels throughout a 0.04 square kilometer area, creating detailed exposure maps for the 900 MHz frequency used by GSM cell towers. This technique provides a faster, more efficient way to assess public exposure to cell tower radiation for health studies and government risk communication.
Maestú C et al. · 2013
Spanish researchers tested whether very low-intensity 8 Hz magnetic fields could help women with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. After eight weekly sessions, patients receiving real magnetic stimulation showed significant improvements in pain thresholds, daily functioning, chronic pain levels, and sleep quality compared to those receiving fake treatment. The benefits appeared quickly for pain relief but took six weeks to develop for other symptoms, suggesting magnetic fields may offer a safe treatment option for fibromyalgia patients.
Ozorak A et al. · 2013
Turkish researchers exposed pregnant rats and their offspring to Wi-Fi (2.45 GHz) and mobile phone frequencies (900 and 1800 MHz) for one hour daily from pregnancy through 6 weeks of age. The exposed animals showed significant oxidative damage in kidneys and reproductive organs, with increased harmful byproducts and decreased protective antioxidants. This suggests that common wireless radiation may interfere with normal development and damage vital organs during critical growth periods.
Ozgur E et al. · 2013
Researchers exposed pregnant rabbits and their offspring to cell phone-like radiation (1800 MHz GSM) for 15 minutes daily and measured blood chemistry changes in the baby rabbits. They found that even brief daily exposures caused oxidative stress (cellular damage from free radicals) and altered blood chemistry parameters, with different effects in male versus female offspring. The findings suggest that developing animals may be particularly vulnerable to radiofrequency radiation during critical growth periods.
Hamzany Y et al. · 2013
Researchers compared saliva samples from 20 mobile phone users (who used phones for an average of 12.5 years) to deaf individuals who didn't use phones. Mobile phone users showed significantly higher levels of oxidative stress markers in their saliva, along with reduced saliva flow and important proteins like albumin and amylase.
Ghanbari M1, Mortazavi SB1, Khavanin A1, Khazaei M2. · 2013
Researchers exposed male rats to cell phone radiation at 900 MHz (the frequency used by GSM networks) for two to three weeks and measured effects on sperm quality. They found that exposure significantly reduced sperm viability, motility (swimming ability), and antioxidant defenses compared to unexposed rats, with longer exposure causing greater damage. This suggests cell phone radiation may impair male fertility by creating oxidative stress in reproductive cells.
Maestú C et al. · 2013
Spanish researchers tested whether very low-intensity magnetic field stimulation could help women with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition. After eight weekly sessions of 8 Hz pulsed magnetic fields, patients showed significant improvements in pain thresholds, daily functioning, sleep quality, and overall pain levels compared to those receiving fake treatment. The improvements began after just one session for pain relief, with other benefits appearing after six weeks of treatment.
Maaroufi K et al. · 2013
French researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour daily over three weeks and tested their cognitive abilities using various learning tasks. The rats showed impaired performance on exploratory tasks and changes in brain chemicals, particularly in the hippocampus region crucial for memory. This suggests that even moderate exposure to cell phone radiation can affect brain function and cognitive performance.
Tombini M et al. · 2013
Researchers exposed 10 epilepsy patients to mobile phone radiation for 45 minutes and measured brain activity. Phone radiation increased brain excitability only when positioned opposite to patients' seizure-prone brain areas, suggesting mobile phones can uniquely affect brain function in epilepsy patients.
Sudan M, Kheifets L, Arah OA, Olsen J. · 2013
Danish researchers followed over 52,000 children from birth to age 7, tracking their cell phone use and hearing ability. They found children who used cell phones had a 21-23% higher risk of hearing loss compared to non-users. This is the first large-scale study to examine whether cell phone radiation might affect children's hearing, though the researchers noted the findings need confirmation from other studies.
Redmayne M, Smith E, and Abramson MJ · 2013
New Zealand researchers studied 400 teenagers' wireless phone use and health symptoms. Students making over 6 calls weekly had 2.4 times higher headache risk, while wireless headset users showed doubled depression and sleep problems. These findings suggest teen phone habits may impact wellbeing.
Perentos N, Croft RJ, McKenzie RJ, Cosic I · 2013
Researchers exposed 72 healthy volunteers to different types of cell phone-like radio frequency signals while measuring their brain waves (EEG) during rest. They found that both pulsed and continuous RF exposures reduced alpha brain wave activity compared to no exposure. This challenges the common assumption that only pulsed signals (like those from cell phones) affect brain activity.
Mortazavi SM, Taeb S, Dehghan N · 2013
Researchers studied 100 military radar operators and compared their brain function to 57 non-exposed workers. They found that radar personnel had significantly faster reaction times but dramatically worse short-term memory performance, including reduced ability to remember number sequences and word pairs. This suggests that occupational radar exposure affects cognitive function in both positive and negative ways.
Mohammed HS, Fahmy HM, Radwah NM, Elsayed AA · 2013
Researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone frequencies) for one hour daily over a month, then monitored their brain waves during sleep. They found that EMF exposure disrupted normal sleep patterns, particularly REM sleep (the deep sleep phase crucial for memory and brain restoration). The study suggests that radiofrequency radiation can alter brain function even at non-heating power levels.
Lustenberger C et al. · 2013
Swiss researchers exposed 16 men to cell phone-like radiofrequency signals during sleep while monitoring brain activity. The RF exposure altered brain waves and reduced participants' ability to improve motor skills by 20% compared to nights without exposure, suggesting nighttime RF may disrupt sleep-dependent learning processes.
Zhu W, Zhang W, Li Y, Xu J, Luo J, Jiang Y, Lu X, Lü S. · 2013
Researchers exposed human pancreatic cancer cells to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in WiFi and cell phones) for 20 minutes at various power levels. They found that the radiation inhibited cancer cell growth and triggered programmed cell death (apoptosis) through stress-related pathways. This suggests that microwave radiation can damage cellular functions even in cancer cells, which are typically more resilient than healthy cells.
Zhijian C et al. · 2013
Researchers exposed human immune cells to cell phone radiation (1.8 GHz) for 24 hours. They found significant changes in 27 proteins involved in DNA repair and cancer prevention, suggesting that cell phone-level radiation may disrupt cellular processes that protect against genetic damage.
Vecsei Z, Csathó A, Thuróczy G, Hernádi I. · 2013
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.
Urbinello D, Röösli M. · 2013
Researchers measured radiation from people's phones while traveling, comparing phones turned off versus standby mode. They found phones constantly emit radiation even when not in use, with car exposure levels orders of magnitude higher than with phones off, challenging assumptions about phone radiation safety.
Sun W, Shen X, Lu D, Lu D, Chiang H · 2013
Researchers exposed human cells to 1.8 GHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone signals) and found it triggered abnormal clustering and activation of cellular receptors that control cell growth. Interestingly, when they added a weak 'noise' magnetic field alongside the RF exposure, it completely blocked these cellular changes at moderate power levels, suggesting the magnetic field provided some protection against RF-induced cellular disruption.
