To examine whether the use of a Bluetooth headset reduces the mobile phone-exposure related effects on the human auditory nerve as detected in a previous study of the authors (Colletti et al. 2011).
In the previous study, patients suffering from Menière's disease and undergoing retrosigmoid vestibular neurectomy were exposed to electromagnetic fields generated by a mobile phone. The patients showed a substantial significant decrease in amplitude and a significant increase in latency of cochlear nerve compound action potentials during the 5 minutes of exposure to the electromagnetic field.
In the present study, 12 patients, also suffering from Menière's disease and undergoing retrosigmoid vestibular neurectomy, were directly exposed to a mobile phone or alternatively via a Bluetooth headset (6 patients, respectively).
Cochlear compound action potentials were first recorded with the cell phone in standby mode for 2 minutes and then continuously monitored during 5 minutes of active call (either via the Bluetooth headset or directly exposed to the mobile phone)
| Frequency | 900 MHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Exposure duration | continuous for 5 min |
| Additional info | mobile phone |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Setup | mobile phone positioned over the craniotomy area |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAR | 0.82 W/kg | maximum | - | 10 g | according to manufacturer |
| Frequency | 2.4 GHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Exposure duration | continuous for 5 min |
| Additional info | Bluetooth headset |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Setup | Bluetooth headset positioned over the craniotomy area, mobile phone lying approximately 50 cm away |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| power | 2.5 mW | maximum | - | - | - |
The directly mobile phone exposed patients showed a significant decrease in the amplitude and a significant increase in latency of cochlear nerve compound action potentials from the second to the fifth minute of exposure. The patients exposed via bluetooth showed no statistically significant changes in the latency and the amplitude of cochlear nerve compound action potentials. Between both groups, the analysis of the acoustic evoked brainstem potentials performed on wave V showed no statistically significant differences. Postoperative audiological follow-up revealed no significant hearing threshold deterioration in any of the patients.
The authors conclude that the electromagnetic fields produced by a bluetooth headset do not induce changes in the activity of the cochlear nerve, whereas direct exposure to a mobile phone could change the activity.
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