3,138 Studies Reviewed. 77.4% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.

EMF Research Studies

Browse 3,138 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from the BioInitiative Report database.

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Showing 1,359 studies (Human Studies)

Cancer & TumorsNo Effects Found

Effect of cell phone-like electromagnetic radiation on primary human thyroid cells.

Silva V et al. · 2015

Israeli researchers exposed human thyroid cells to cell phone-like radiofrequency radiation to test whether it could trigger cancer-related changes. They found no effects on cell proliferation, DNA damage markers, or stress indicators that typically signal cellular harm. This suggests that under their specific test conditions, cell phone radiation did not promote thyroid cancer development in isolated human cells.

Oxidative StressNo Effects Found

A cross-sectional study on oxidative stress in workers exposed to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields

Xiong DF, Liu JW, Li ZX, Zeng GC, Li HL · 2015

Researchers studied 310 electrical workers who regularly inspect power transformers and distribution lines to see if their exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields caused oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules). They measured multiple markers of cellular damage and DNA damage in blood samples, comparing the workers to 300 office staff with minimal EMF exposure. The study found no significant differences between the two groups in any of the damage markers tested.

DNA & Genetic DamageNo Effects Found

Genomic instability induced by 50Hz magnetic fields is a dynamically evolving process not blocked by antioxidant treatment.

Kesari KK, Luukkonen J, Juutilainen J, Naarala J · 2015

Researchers exposed human brain cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the type from power lines) for 24 hours and tracked genetic damage for up to 45 days afterward. They found that the magnetic field exposure caused DNA damage that persisted for at least 30 days, and this damage wasn't prevented by antioxidants, suggesting the fields directly affect cellular genetics rather than just causing oxidative stress.

DNA & Genetic DamageNo Effects Found

Effects on g2/m phase cell cycle distribution and aneuploidy formation of exposure to a 60 Hz electromagnetic field in combination with ionizing radiation or hydrogen peroxide in l132 nontumorigenic human lung epithelial cells.

Jin H, Yoon HE, Lee JS, Kim JK, Myung SH, Lee YS. · 2015

Researchers exposed human lung cells to 60 Hz magnetic fields (1-2 mT) alone and combined with radiation or hydrogen peroxide to test whether EMFs might make cells more vulnerable to genetic damage. The magnetic fields alone caused no genetic damage, and they didn't make the cells more susceptible to damage when combined with other stressors. This suggests that power frequency magnetic fields at these levels don't compromise cellular genetic stability.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure, electrical shocks and risk of Parkinson's disease.

van der Mark M et al. · 2015

Researchers studied 444 Parkinson's disease patients and 876 healthy controls to see if exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) from electrical occupations, household appliances, or electrical shocks increased Parkinson's risk. They found no association between any electrical exposures and Parkinson's disease development. In fact, most exposure categories showed slightly reduced risk estimates, though researchers concluded this likely doesn't represent true protection.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effects of concurrent caffeine and mobile phone exposure on local target probability processing in the human brain

Trunk A et al. · 2015

Researchers exposed 25 people to UMTS mobile phone radiation (similar to 3G signals) for 15 minutes while they performed visual tasks, with some participants also given caffeine. While caffeine improved reaction times and brain arousal as expected, the mobile phone radiation had no detectable effects on brain activity or cognitive performance, either alone or when combined with caffeine.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Do signals of a hand-held TETRA transmitter affect cognitive performance, well-being, mood or somatic complaints in healthy young men? Results of a randomized double-blind cross-over provocation study.

Sauter C et al. · 2015

German researchers exposed 30 healthy young men to TETRA radio signals (used by emergency services) for 2.5 hours at two different power levels to test effects on thinking abilities and well-being. They found no negative impacts on cognitive performance, mood, or physical complaints, with some measures actually showing slight improvement during exposure. This suggests short-term exposure to TETRA signals at these levels doesn't impair mental function in healthy adults.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effect of Short-Term Mobile Phone Base Station Exposure on Cognitive Performance, Body Temperature, Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of Malaysians

Malek F, Rani KA, Rahim HA, Omar MH · 2015

Malaysian researchers exposed 200 people (half claiming electromagnetic sensitivity) to cell tower signals at 1 volt per meter for short periods and measured cognitive performance, body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. They found no statistically significant differences between real exposure and fake exposure in either sensitive or non-sensitive individuals. This suggests that brief exposure to typical cell tower radiation levels doesn't immediately affect these basic body functions or mental performance.

Brain & Nervous SystemNo Effects Found

Effect of Prolonged Use of Mobile Phone on Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials

Gupta N, Goyal D, Sharma R, Arora KS · 2015

Researchers examined whether long-term mobile phone use affects the auditory brainstem - the part of the brain that processes sound signals from your ears. They compared brain wave responses in 67 people who had used GSM mobile phones for over a year against 33 non-users. The study found no significant differences in how sound signals traveled through the auditory nerve to the brainstem between phone users and non-users.

Epidemiological investigation of risk factors of the pregnant women with early spontaneous abortion in Beijing.

Zhou LY et al. · 2015

Chinese researchers surveyed over 32,000 pregnant women in Beijing from 2000 to 2013 to identify risk factors for early miscarriage. They found that living within 100 meters of a cell tower was an independent risk factor for spontaneous abortion, along with having a cold during pregnancy, home decoration, pet ownership, and high anxiety levels. The study suggests that proximity to wireless infrastructure may pose reproductive health risks.

Association between mobile phone use and self-reported well-being in children: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study in Chongqing,

Zheng F et al. · 2015

Researchers surveyed 746 children in China about their mobile phone use and health symptoms. They found that children who used phones for more years or made longer daily calls were significantly more likely to report fatigue, with those making longer calls nearly three times more likely to experience fatigue. The connection between phone use and fatigue remained strong even after accounting for other factors that might explain the symptoms.

In vitro effect of cell phone radiation on motility, DNA fragmentation and clusterin gene expression in human sperm.

Zalata A et al. · 2015

Researchers exposed human sperm samples from 124 men to cell phone radiation for one hour in laboratory conditions. The radiation significantly reduced sperm movement and increased DNA damage, with the worst effects seen in men who already had fertility problems. This suggests that cell phone radiation may harm male fertility by damaging sperm quality and genetic material.

The Effects of Melatonin on Oxidative Stress Parameters and DNA Fragmentation in Testicular Tissue of Rats Exposed to Microwave Radiation.

Sokolovic D et al. · 2015

Researchers exposed male rats to microwave radiation for 4 hours daily and found it caused oxidative stress and DNA damage in testicular tissue. When rats were also given melatonin (a natural hormone), it significantly protected against these harmful effects, preventing increases in cellular damage markers and reducing DNA fragmentation. This suggests melatonin may help protect reproductive health from microwave radiation exposure.

Effects of GSM modulated radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on permeability of blood-brain barrier in male & female rats.

Sırav B, Seyhan N · 2015

Researchers exposed male and female rats to cell phone radiation at 900MHz and 1800MHz frequencies for 20 minutes, then measured whether their blood-brain barrier (the protective shield around the brain) became more permeable. They found that both frequencies increased brain permeability in males, with 1800MHz having a stronger effect, while only 900MHz affected females. This suggests that even brief cell phone exposure can compromise the brain's natural protective barrier.

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

Researchers studied 155 military personnel exposed to radar frequencies of 8-12 GHz and 12.5-18 GHz to measure how electromagnetic fields affect melatonin (the sleep hormone) and serotonin (a mood chemical) in their blood. Workers exposed to the higher frequency range (12.5-18 GHz) showed significantly lower melatonin levels and higher serotonin levels, especially those with more than 10 years of exposure. This suggests that long-term exposure to certain radar frequencies can disrupt the body's natural hormone balance.

The influence of electromagnetic radiation generated by a mobile phone on the skeletal system of rats.

Sieroń-Stołtny K et al. · 2015

Researchers exposed rats to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz frequency) for 28 days and examined effects on their bone health. The radiation didn't change bone size but significantly weakened bone strength, reduced calcium content, and disrupted the normal processes that build and break down bone tissue. This suggests that cell phone radiation may interfere with bone health even when bones appear normal on the outside.

Memory performance, wireless communication and exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields: A prospective cohort study in adolescents.

Schoeni A, Roser K, Röösli M. · 2015

Swiss researchers followed 439 adolescents for one year, testing their memory performance while tracking their cell phone use. They found that teens who used their phones more for voice calls showed declining figural memory (the ability to remember shapes and visual patterns) over the year. Importantly, activities that produce minimal radiation like texting and gaming showed no memory effects, suggesting the radiation itself - not just phone use habits - may be impacting developing brains.

Effect of exposure and withdrawal of 900-MHz-electromagnetic waves on brain, kidney and liver oxidative stress and some biochemical parameters in male rats.

Ragy MM · 2015

Researchers exposed rats to 900-MHz electromagnetic radiation (similar to cell phone frequencies) for one hour daily over 60 days and found significant damage to the brain, liver, and kidneys. The exposure increased harmful oxidative stress markers and damaged tissue function, but these effects reversed when the EMF exposure was stopped for 30 days. This suggests that cell phone radiation may cause measurable biological damage that could potentially be reversed with reduced exposure.

Use of mobile phone during pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous abortion.

Mahmoudabadi FS, Ziaei S, Firoozabadi M, Kazemnejad A · 2015

Researchers in Iran studied 600 women to examine whether mobile phone use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage. They compared women who had unexplained miscarriages before 14 weeks with those who carried pregnancies past 14 weeks. The study found significant differences in mobile phone usage patterns between the two groups, with higher phone use associated with increased miscarriage risk.

Dosimetry for infant exposures to electronic article surveillance system: Posture, physical dimension and anatomy.

Li C, Wu T. · 2015

Researchers measured how electromagnetic fields from store security systems (electronic article surveillance) affect infants, children, and adults differently. They found that infants absorb significantly more energy in their brain and nervous system tissues - 1.5 times more at one frequency and 112 times more at another frequency compared to adults. While current safety limits weren't exceeded, the dramatically higher absorption rates in infant brains warrant further investigation.

Generation of infant anatomical models for evaluating electromagnetic field exposures.

Li C et al. · 2015

Researchers created detailed anatomical models of infant bodies and heads using MRI scans to test how electromagnetic fields affect babies differently than adults. They found significant physical differences between infant and adult models that affect how much radiation is absorbed. The study suggests current safety guidelines for radiofrequency exposure may not adequately protect infants.

Mobile phone base stations and well-being - A meta-analysis.

Klaps A, Ponocny I, Winker R, Kundi M, Auersperg F, Barth A. · 2015

Researchers analyzed 17 studies examining whether cell tower radiation affects people's well-being and health symptoms. They found that people only reported negative effects when they knew a cell tower was present, but experienced no effects in double-blind studies where they didn't know about exposure. This suggests that reported symptoms from cell towers are largely due to the 'nocebo effect' - where expecting harm causes real symptoms, even without actual physical cause.

Recall accuracy of mobile phone calls among Japanese young people.

Kiyohara K et al. · 2015

Japanese researchers tracked 198 students' actual mobile phone usage with special software, then asked them to recall their phone habits 10-12 months later. They found that 19% of participants couldn't accurately remember which ear they primarily used for calls, and people made significant errors when estimating both how often and how long they talked on their phones. This reveals a major problem with EMF health studies that rely on people's memories of their phone usage rather than objective measurements.

Analysis on the Effect of the Distances and Inclination Angles between Human Head and Mobile Phone on SAR.

Hossain MI, Faruque MRI, Islam MT. · 2015

Researchers used computer modeling to study how distance and angle between a cell phone and user's head affects SAR (specific absorption rate), which measures how much radiofrequency energy the head absorbs. They found that keeping the phone farther from your head significantly reduces SAR values, but changing the angle doesn't consistently help. This research provides practical guidance for reducing your exposure to cell phone radiation during calls.

Radiofrequency signal affects alpha band in resting electroencephalogram.

Ghosn R et al. · 2015

Researchers exposed 26 healthy young adults to radiofrequency signals from a mobile phone while measuring their brain activity using EEG (electroencephalogram). They found that RF exposure significantly reduced alpha brain waves (8-12 Hz), which are associated with relaxed, alert states, and this effect persisted even after the exposure ended. The study carefully controlled for other factors like stress hormones and caffeine that could influence brain activity.

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