Article publication date
May 2025
ARPANSA review date
June 2025
Summary
This article provides experts’ critical perspectives on the scientific evidence on electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) being caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). Self-reported prevalence of EHS in populations varies between countries, for example, 1.5% (Hillert et al., 2002) - up to 3.2% (Hagström et al., 2012) during 1997-2007 in Sweden; 2.0%-3.5% during 1994-2008 in Austria (Schröttne et al., 2008); 13% (2007) and 4% (2012) in Taiwan (Meg Tseng et al., 2011). Further, EHS tends to be a relatively transient self-reported condition, and no specific symptom clusters related to EMF exposure sources have been identified. A recent World Health Organization commissioned systematic review (Bosch-Capblanch et al., 2024) concluded that people suffering from IEI-EMF cannot identify exposures better than by chance under blinded conditions nor were their reported symptoms different from control populations, or from the general population. Therefore, there is no robust scientific evidence to support EMF as the causal agent for EHS, although the condition may be experienced by some people. Randomized provocation trials are considered as the most appropriate research method to investigate a possible association between EMF exposure and EHS; however, these studies have notable limitations. They typically only capture short-term effects on self-perceived health, and their finding may be diluted or masked due the inclusion of participants who are either not genuinely affected by EHS or experience symptoms to a lesser degree. Additionally, many studies rely on a single exposure condition in terms of frequency and intensity, and no objective biomarkers have been identified to support a link between EMF exposure below regulatory limits and EHS. In view of this, the authors suggest that future studies should either consider single-case repeated design or observational studies relying on long-term EMF exposure focussing on the whole population rather than on self-perceived EHS population.
Published in
Frontiers in Public Health
Link to study
Electrohypersensitivity: what is belief and what is known?
ARPANSA commentary
The article provides a state-of-the art viewpoint on self-reported EHS associated to EMF exposure. The conclusions drawn in the article are consistent with the findings of the recent WHO systematic review and two Australian experimental studies (Verrender et al., 2018a; 2018b), which indicated no relationship between EMF exposure and EHS. Properly conducted scientific studies have consistently demonstrated that the belief of being exposed to EMF (rather than EMF exposure itself) contributes to triggering symptoms in healthy people. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) provides evidence-based public health messages in relation to EMF exposure and health, including EHS. Based on current scientific evidence, EHS is not caused by EMF exposure at levels below the ARPANSA safety standard. Nevertheless, ARPANSA acknowledges that the health symptoms experienced by the affected individuals are real and can be a disabling problem and advise those affected to seek medical advice from a qualified medical specialist.
