Medical/biological study (observational study)

Effect of prolonged use of mobile phone on brainstem auditory evoked potentials med./bio.

By: Gupta N, Goyal D, Sharma R, Arora KS

Published in: J Clin of Diagn Res 2015; 9 (5): CC07-CC09

Aim of study (acc. to author)

The effects of long-term GSM mobile phone usage on acoustic evoked brainstem potentials should be investigated.

Background/further details

100 healthy volunteers (69 women and 31 men) aged 18-30 years with no clinical evidence of hearing disorder were divided into the following groups depending upon their GSM mobile phone usage: 1) subjects using mobile phones for 1 to 5 years for <60 minutes/day (n=24), 2) subjects using mobile phones for 1 to 5 years for >60 minutes/day (n=16), 3) subjects using mobile phones for >5 years for <60 minutes/day (n=10), 4) subjects using mobile phones for >5 years for >60 minutes/day (n=17), 5) subjects who had never used any mobile phone (control group, n=33).
(remark EMF-Portal: the actual use of the mobile phone (i.e. calling, text messages, internet use) was not discriminated and it is not stated how the exposure was determined (e.g. via questionnaire)).

Endpoint

effects on the neurological system: acoustic evoked brainstem potentials

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: RF (≥ 10 MHz) Exposure duration: cumulative mobile phone use of <60 minutes/day for 1-5 years	-
Exposure 2: RF (≥ 10 MHz) Exposure duration: cumulative mobile phone use of >60 minutes/day for 1-5 years	-
Exposure 3: RF (≥ 10 MHz) Exposure duration: cumulative mobile phone use of <60 minutes/day for >5 years	-
Exposure 4: RF (≥ 10 MHz) Exposure duration: cumulative mobile phone use of >60 minutes/day for >5 years	-

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	RF (≥ 10 MHz)
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	cumulative mobile phone use of <60 minutes/day for 1-5 years
Additional info	GSM

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone

Parameters

No parameters are specified for this exposure.

Exposure 2

Main characteristics

Frequency	RF (≥ 10 MHz)
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	cumulative mobile phone use of >60 minutes/day for 1-5 years
Additional info	GSM

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone

Parameters

No parameters are specified for this exposure.

Exposure 3

Main characteristics

Frequency	RF (≥ 10 MHz)
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	cumulative mobile phone use of <60 minutes/day for >5 years
Additional info	GSM

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone

Parameters

No parameters are specified for this exposure.

Exposure 4

Main characteristics

Frequency	RF (≥ 10 MHz)
Type	electromagnetic field
Exposure duration	cumulative mobile phone use of >60 minutes/day for >5 years
Additional info	GSM

Exposure setup

Exposure source	cellular phone

Parameters

No parameters are specified for this exposure.

Exposed system:

human

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

effects on the neurological system: acoustic evoked brainstem potentials (peak latencies of waves I, II, III, IV and V, interpeak latencies of waves I-III, III-V and I-V and amplitudes of waves I-Ia and V-Va, separately on both ears, EEG in a shielded room)

Investigated system:

investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

Time of investigation:

after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

No significant differences were found between mobile phone user groups and the control group.
The authors conclude that there is no evidence for effects of long-term GSM mobile phone usage on acoustic evoked brainstem potentials.

Study character:

medical/biological study
observational study
full/main study

Study funded by

not stated/no funding

Çeliker M et al. (2017): Effects of exposure to 2100MHz GSM-like radiofrequency electromagnetic field on auditory system of rats
Bhagat S et al. (2016): Effects on auditory function of chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields from mobile phones
Mohan M et al. (2016): Does chronic exposure to mobile phones affect cognition?
Khullar S et al. (2013): Auditory brainstem responses and EMFs generated by mobile phones
Panda NK et al. (2011): Auditory changes in mobile users: is evidence forthcoming?
Kaprana AE et al. (2011): Auditory brainstem response changes during exposure to GSM-900 radiation: an experimental study
Parazzini M et al. (2010): Absence of short-term effects of UMTS exposure on the human auditory system
Panda NK et al. (2010): Audiologic disturbances in long-term mobile phone users
Kwon MS et al. (2010): No effects of mobile phone electromagnetic field on auditory brainstem response
Parazzini M et al. (2009): Effects of UMTS cellular phones on human hearing: results of the European project EMFnEAR
Stefanics G et al. (2007): Short GSM mobile phone exposure does not alter human auditory brainstem response
Parazzini M et al. (2007): Effects of GSM Cellular Phones on Human Hearing: The European Project "GUARD"
Mora R et al. (2006): A study of the effects of cellular telephone microwave radiation on the auditory system in healthy men
Oktay MF et al. (2006): Effects of intensive and moderate cellular phone use on hearing function
Bak M et al. (2003): No effects of acute exposure to the electromagnetic field emitted by mobile phones on brainstem auditory potentials in young volunteers
Arai N et al. (2003): Thirty minutes mobile phone use has no short-term adverse effects on central auditory pathways
Ozturan O et al. (2002): Effects of the electromagnetic field of mobile telephones on hearing
Kellenyi L et al. (1999): Effects of mobile GSM radiotelephone exposure on the auditory brainstem response (ABR)

Effect of prolonged use of mobile phone on brainstem auditory evoked potentials med./bio.

Aim of study (acc. to author)

Background/further details

Endpoint

Exposure

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Exposure setup

Parameters

Exposure 2

Main characteristics

Exposure setup

Parameters

Exposure 3

Main characteristics

Exposure setup

Parameters

Exposure 4

Main characteristics

Exposure setup

Parameters

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

Study funded by

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