Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Mobile phones exposure induces changes of contingent negative variation in humans med./bio.

By: de Tommaso M, Rossi P, Falsaperla R, Francesco Vde V, Santoro R, Federici A

Published in: Neurosci Lett 2009; 464 (2): 79-83

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study the initial contingent negative variation changes induced by 900 MHz GSM exposure in ten healthy volunteers. under three experimental conditions (randomized across the subjects and with ten minutes time interval in-between): 1) exposure to a GSM mobile phone, 2) sham exposure and 3) the phone was completely switched-off (further details see "exposure").

Endpoint

effects on the neurological system: contingent negative variation

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone
- digital mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 900 MHz Exposure duration: 48 trials with intervals of 4 s to 6 s	power: 2 W maximum SAR: 0.5 W/kg maximum (+/- 0.1 W/kg phone A)

General information

subjects were tested under three conditions: i) GSM phone emitting power ii) power from the GSM phone dissipated on an internal load iii) phone switched off

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	900 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	48 trials with intervals of 4 s to 6 s

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone
Setup	two commercially identical phones A and B mounted on a plastic helmet; phone B modified by connecting the output of the GSM power signal to an internal load instead of the antenna; subjects sitting in a schielded room
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
power	2 W	maximum	-	-	-
SAR	0.5 W/kg	maximum	-	-	+/- 0.1 W/kg phone A

Additional parameter details

phone B: SAR around 30 dB lower than phone A

Exposed system:

human
partial body: head (left side)

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

effects on the neurological system: contingent negative variation (via acoustic stimuli; amplitude and habituation; EEG)

Investigated system:

investigation on living organism

Time of investigation:

during exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The initial contingent negative variation amplitude decreased and habituation increased during both exposure conditions (1 and 2) compared with condition 3, where the mobile phone was switched off. This effect was diffuse over the scalp, and there was no significant prevalence of amplitude decrease on the left side, where the cell phone was located. This evidence, limited by the low number of subjects investigated, could be explained in terms of an effect induced by both the GSM signal and the extremely low frequency magnetic field produced by battery and internal circuits.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study
double-blind study

Study funded by

Ministero della Salute (Ministry of Health), Italy

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