6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
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Brain & Nervous System

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Key Finding: 83% of 1,950 primary studies on brain & nervous system found biological effects from EMF exposure.

Of 1,950 studies examining brain & nervous system, 83% found measurable biological effects from EMF exposure.

Lowest Documented Effect

Research found effects on brain & nervous system at exposures as low as:

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in Context4.3 × 10⁻⁵ mGExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects documented below the Building Biology "No Concern" threshold (0.2 mG)FCC limit is 46.5 million times higher than this level
View study: Effects of Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field on Oxidative ...

Research Overview

  • -When you review the peer-reviewed literature on electromagnetic field exposure and brain function, the numbers tell a compelling story: 84% of the 2,753 studies examining this relationship have documented measurable effects.
  • -This isn't a fringe concern or preliminary finding.
  • -This is the dominant scientific picture, and it deserves your attention.

When you review the peer-reviewed literature on electromagnetic field exposure and brain function, the numbers tell a compelling story: 84% of the 2,753 studies examining this relationship have documented measurable effects. This isn't a fringe concern or preliminary finding. This is the dominant scientific picture, and it deserves your attention. The documented effects span multiple systems within your nervous system.

Of 2,753 studies examining EMF effects on the brain and nervous system, approximately 84 percent found measurable biological effects.

The scientific evidence demonstrates that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones and wireless devices produce measurable effects on nervous system function and cellular processes in the brain.

Source: BioInitiative Working Group. BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for Biologically-based Public Exposure Standards for Electromagnetic Radiation. Edited by Cindy Sage and David O. Carpenter, BioInitiative, 2012, updated 2020. www.bioinitiative.org

Research Statistics by EMF Type

EMF TypeStudiesShowing EffectsPercentage
ELF22920891.00%
RF30522272.00%

Source: Dr. Henry Lai research database

Showing 2,030 studies

Brain & Nervous System

THE EFFECTS OF LOW LEVEL MICROWAVE IRRADIATION UPON REFLEXIVE, OPERANT, AND DISCRIMINATION BEHAVIORS OF THE RAT

Nancy Williams King · 1969

Low-level irradiation (1.5–1.7 mw/gm) reduced responding when correlated with reinforcement or extinction but had no reliable effect during uncorrelated presentations. Low-level microwave irradiation did not act as a discriminative stimulus, although acoustic and visual stimuli were well discriminated. High-level irradiation improved tone discrimination performance for rats where the tone signaled reinforcement, and caused curare-like immobility and elevated rectal temperatures.

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Sleep & Circadian Rhythm

Evaluation of electrotherapeutic sleep by evoked potentials

Norbert T. Christman et al. · 1969

The study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of producing sleep in a variety of subjects without the use of sedatives and narcotics. The study used a two-fold approach: detecting physiological changes in evoked scalp potentials from small rectangular currents averaging 0 to 1.5 milliamperes, and detecting changes in evoked potentials from the induced sleep state. Squirrel monkeys were used initially to standardize the recording technique and determine physiological effects of the currents, followed by human volunteers for the quantitative sleep study.

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Whole Body / General

Abdominal Surgery Under Electroanaesthesia

D. H. Reigel et al. · 1969

Major abdominal surgery was performed under electroanesthesia in ten unintubated stump-tail macaque monkeys, with excellent muscle relaxation and complete analgesia at optimal current levels. Simultaneous monitoring of cardiovascular and respiratory systems showed no significant change. Respiratory rate became regular but about 10% slower at full current while minute volume, arterial pH, and blood gas tensions remained unchanged, and only slight blood pressure changes occurred with normal central venous pressure and no extra ECG dispersion.

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Brain & Nervous System

CHANGES OF MUSCLE ACTION IN BIRDS EXPOSED TO A MICROWAVE FIELD

J.A. TANNER, C. ROMERO-SIERRA, F. VILLA · 1969

A Leghorn chicken was exposed to 9.29 GHz pulsed microwaves at 100 mi/om@ while muscle activity was recorded with an 8-channel pen recorder. At radiation onset, muscle activity increased on the side facing the field and decreased almost to paralysis on the opposite side. After the field was turned off, the chicken recovered normal posture and muscle activity within seconds.

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Whole Body / General

AN OPERANT ELECTROMAGNETIC CHAMBER

Willard E. Caldwell, Earl Gaddis, Morton Werber · 1969

Researchers built an Operant Electromagnetic Chamber with a shielded section and an unshielded section, and exposed animals to 8840 mc radio frequency at a power density of 2.2 to 2.5 milliwatts per square inch. No significant difference in shielded-chamber time occurred when the radio frequency was on during the first half of trials, but when it was on during the second half the animals stayed in the shielded area significantly longer with the frequency off (p < .01).

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Whole Body / General
Not an original health-effects study

BIOMEDICAL ASPECTS OF RADIO FREQUENCY AND MICROWAVE RADIATION: A REVIEW OF SELECTED SOVIET, EAST EUROPEAN, AND WESTERN REFERENCES

Zorach R. Glaser, Christopher H. Dodge · 1969

The review compared Soviet and East European literature with Western literature and found a major disagreement over whether nonthermal effects occur below 10 mW/cm2. Occupational exposure standards reflected this divide, with the Soviet limit at 0.01 mW/cm2 and the U.S. limit at 10 mW/cm2 for continuous exposure. Western research was beginning to investigate effects below 10 mW/cm2, but the review noted persistent dosimetry and control-group problems in epidemiological studies.

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Learn More

For a comprehensive exploration of EMF health effects including brain & nervous system, along with practical protection strategies, explore these books by R Blank and Dr. Martin Blank.

Overpowered: The Dangers of Electromagnetic Radiation book cover

Overpowered: The Dangers of Electromagnetic Radiation

Dr. Martin Blank & R Blank

Read on Amazon
Empowered: A Practical Guide to Protecting Yourself from EMF book cover

Empowered: A Practical Guide to Protecting Yourself from EMF

R Blank

Read on Amazon

FAQs: EMF & Brain & Nervous System

When you review the peer-reviewed literature on electromagnetic field exposure and brain function, the numbers tell a compelling story: 84% of the 2,753 studies examining this relationship have documented measurable effects. This isn't a fringe concern or preliminary finding. This is the dominant scientific picture, and it deserves your attention. The documented effects span multiple systems within your nervous system.
The SYB Research Database includes 1,950 peer-reviewed studies examining the relationship between electromagnetic field exposure and brain & nervous system. These studies have been conducted by researchers worldwide and published in scientific journals. The research spans multiple decades and includes various types of EMF sources including cell phones, WiFi, power lines, and other common sources of electromagnetic radiation.
83% of the 1,950 studies examining brain & nervous system found measurable biological effects from EMF exposure. This means that 1621 studies documented observable changes in biological systems when exposed to electromagnetic fields. The remaining 17% either found no significant effects or had inconclusive results, which is typical in scientific research where study design and exposure parameters vary.