Mobile Phone Radiation may Affect Memory
Performance in Adolescents
19 July 2018 ,Deutsch
Medicine/PharmacologyComputer
Science/Telecom
This study looked at the relationship
between exposure to mobile phone radiation and development of memory performance
in adolescents
Radiofrequency
electromagnetic fields may have adverse effects on the development of memory
performance of specific brain regions exposed during mobile phone use. These
are the findings of a study involving nearly 700 adolescents in Switzerland.
The investigation, led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss
TPH), will be published on Monday, 23 July 2018 in the peer-reviewed journal
Environmental Health Perspectives.
The rapid
evolution of information and communication technologies (ICT) goes along with
an increase in exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in
our daily life. The most relevant exposure source to the brain is the use of a
mobile phone close to the head. Several studies have been conducted to identify
potential health effects related to RF-EMF, though results have remained
inconclusive.
The research
conducted by scientists at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
(Swiss TPH) looked at the relationship between exposure to RF-EMF from wireless
communication devices and memory performance in adolescents. The study follows
up a report published in the scientific journal Environment
International in 2015 with twice the sample size and more recent
information on the absorption of RF-EMF in adolescent brains during different
types of wireless communication device use. These are the world’s first
epidemiological studies to estimate cumulative RF-EMF brain dose in
adolescents.
Media usage and
brain exposure in young adults
The study to be published
on 23 July 2018 found that cumulative RF-EMF brain exposure from mobile phone
use over one year may have a negative effect on the development of figural
memory performance in adolescents, confirming prior results published in 2015.
Figural memory is mainly located in the right brain hemisphere and association
with RF-EMF was more pronounced in adolescents using the mobile phone on the
right side of the head. "This may suggest that indeed RF-EMF absorbed by
the brain is responsible for the observed associations." said Martin
Röösli, Head of Environmental Exposures and Health at Swiss TPH.
Other aspects of
wireless communication use, such as sending text messages, playing games or
browsing the Internet cause only marginal RF-EMF exposure to the brain and were
not associated with the development of memory performance. "A unique
feature of this study is the use of objectively collected mobile phone user
data from mobile phone operators." said Röösli. He emphasised that further
research is needed to rule out the influence of other factors. "For
instance, the study results could have been affected by puberty, which affects
both mobile phone use and the participant’s cognitive and behavioural
state."
The data gathered
from the Health Effects Related to Mobile phone usE in adolescentS (HERMES)
cohort looked at the relationship between exposure to RF-EMF and development of
memory performance of almost 700 adolescents over the course of one year.
Participants, aged 12 to 17 years, were recruited from 7th to 9th public school
grades in urban and rural areas of Swiss-German speaking Switzerland.
Minimising the
risk of RF-EMF exposure
The potential
effect of RF-EMF exposure to the brain is a relatively new field of scientific
inquiry. "It is not yet clear how RF-EMF could potentially affect brain
processes or how relevant our findings are in the long-term." said Röösli.
"Potential risks to the brain can be minimised by using headphones or the
loud speaker while calling, in particular when network quality is low and the
mobile phone is functioning at maximum power."
About the
publication
The study was
conducted by Swiss TPH in collaboration with the European Union project
GERoNiMO, which aims to improve the knowledge of whether and to what extent
RF-EMF affects health. The work on dose calculations was conducted in
collaboration with Belgian scientists. The project was funded by the European
Community’s Seventh Framework Programme and the Swiss National Science
Foundation (SNSF).
Foerster M.,
Thielens A., Joseph W., Eeftens M., Röösli M. (2018) A prospective cohort study
of adolescents’ memory performance and individual brain dose of microwave
radiation from wireless communication. Environmental Health Perspectives. (to
be published on Monday 23 July)
Schoeni A., Roser K.,
Röösli M. (2015) Memory performance, wireless communication and exposure to
radiofrequency electromagnetic fields: a prospective cohort study in
adolescents. Environmental International. Volume 85. Page 343-351. DOI:
10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.025