Epidemiological study (observational study)

Subjective complaints of people living near mobile phone base stations in Poland epidem.

By: Bortkiewicz A, Gadzicka E, Szyjkowska A, Politanski P, Mamrot P, Szymczak W, Zmyslony M

Published in: Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2012; 25 (1): 31-40

Aim of study (acc. to author)

A study was conducted in Poland to assess the health status and subjective symptoms of the inhabitants living in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations and to analyze the relationship between the complaints and level of exposure.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

symptoms of discomfort: headache, impaired memory, dermal changes, depression, fatigue, irritation, circulatory systoms, vertigo, mental discomfort, visual disorders, hearing problems, loss of appetite, nausea
sleep disturbances
health status

Type of risk estimation:

prevalence

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone base station
- residential

Assessment

measurement: spot measurements of electric field strength in bedroom and livingroom (3 x 5 min, frequency range 300 MHz - 3 GHz))

Exposure groups

Group	Description
Group 1	distance between residence and base station: 50 - 100 m
Group 2	distance between residence and base station: 101 - 150 m
Group 3	distance between residence and base station: 151 - 200 m
Group 4	distance between residence and base station: 201 - 250 m

Population

Group:
- men
- women
Age: ≥ 18 years
Observation period: not stated
Study location: Poland (Lodz)

Study size

Type	Value
Total	500

Statistical analysis method:

multiple regression model

(adjustment:

age
sex
occupational and environmental exposure to power line- and radiofrequency fields (e.g., computers, microwave ovens, wireless phones, household equipment, indoor transformer station)

)

Results (acc. to author)

Electric field strength above 0.8 V/m (sensitivity of measuring set) was recorded in 12% of flats (23 out of 195 flats), the admissible value specified by Polish standards of 7 V/m was not exceeded. There was no significant correlation between electric field strength and distance of examined flats from the mobile phone base stations.
Headache was reported by 57 % of the subjects, mostly (36.4%) living 100-150 m away from the mobile phone base station compared to subjects living at longer distances. People living at a distance above 150 m away from the mobile phone base station reported more often impaired memory than subjects living 50-150 m away to the base station. No statistically significant differences between the four different groups were observed for all other investigated subjective symptoms and health status.
The authors conclude that further studies are needed to find an explanation why they did not find any correlation between the electric field strength and subjective symptoms but found a correlation between distance from mobile phone base station and subjective symptoms.

Study funded by

National Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), Poland

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