A prospective cohort study was conducted in Switzerland to investigate whether memory performance in adolescents is affected by cumulative exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from wireless communication devices.
Memory performance was assessed with a standardized, computerized cognitive test battery (Intelligenz-Struktur-Test 2000R).
Further results of the HERMES (Health Effects Related to Mobile phonE use in adolescentS) study are published on behavioral problems and concentration capacity by Roser et al. (2016), on well-being in relation to fixed site transmitters by Schoeni et al. (2016) and on subjective symptoms associated with mobile phone use Schoeni et al. (2016).
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Reference group 1 | self-reported duration data traffic on mobile phone (min/day): ≤ median (low) |
| Group 2 | self-reported duration data traffic on mobile phone (min/day): > 50th - ≤ 75th percentile (medium) |
| Group 3 | self-reported duration data traffic on mobile phone (min/day): > 75th percentile (high) |
| Reference group 4 | self-reported duration cordless phone calls (min/day): ≤ median (low) |
| Group 5 | self-reported duration cordless phone calls (min/day): > 50th - ≤ 75th percentile (medium) |
| Group 6 | self-reported duration cordless phone calls (min/day): > 75th percentile (high) |
| Reference group 7 | self-reported duration mobile phone calls (min/day): ≤ median (low) |
| Group 8 | self-reported duration mobile phone calls (min/day): > 50th - ≤ 75th percentile (medium) |
| Group 9 | self-reported duration mobile phone calls (min/day): > 75th percentile (high) |
| Reference group 10 | operator data- based volume data traffic on mobile phone (MB/day): ≤ median (low) |
| Group 11 | operator data- based volume data traffic on mobile phone (MB/day): > 50th - ≤ 75th percentile (medium) |
| Group 12 | operator data- based volume data traffic on mobile phone (MB/day): > 75th percentile (high) |
| Reference group 13 | operator data- based duration mobile phone calls (min/day): ≤ median (low) |
| Group 14 | operator data- based duration mobile phone calls (min/day): > 50th - ≤ 75th percentile (medium) |
| Group 15 | operator data- based duration mobile phone calls (min/day): > 75th percentile (high) |
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Participants | 439 |
| Participation rate | 19 % |
| Evaluable | 425 |
Cumulative exposure over one year was related to a decrease in figural memory performance in relation to various radiofrequency electromagnetic field dose measures. No association was observed for verbal memory performance.
The authors concluded that a change in memory performance over one year was negatively associated with cumulative duration of mobile phone and cordless phone use and more strongly with radiofrequency electromagnetic field dose. This may indicate that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields affects memory performance.
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