Study reports on whether RF exposure affects cognitive function in children

Authored By:

Cabr´e-Riera et al

Summary:

This was a cross-sectional study that examined the possible association between exposure of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) to the brain of preadolescents (ages 9-11) and adolescents (ages 17-18) and cognitive function. The study included 2952 preadolescents and 261 adolescents that were originally recruited for separate Dutch and Spanish birth cohort studies. The study used self-reported questionnaires to estimate exposure to the brain based on the use of mobile phones and other near field RF EMF exposure sources. The study also estimated exposure to RF EMF in the far field based on exposure to mobile phone towers and TV and radio broadcast towers. The near field exposures were the largest contributor for both preadolescents (70.3%) and adolescents (96%). The study reported lower non-verbal intelligence but did not find any associations with other cognitive outcomes. The authors concluded that the one positive result could be due to reverse causality or may have occurred due to chance.

Link to:

Association between estimated whole-brain radiofrequency electromagnetic fields dose and cognitive function in preadolescents and adolescents

Published In:

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2021

Commentary by ARPANSA:

There have been several studies conducted on the possible effects of RF EMF on the cognitive function of children and adolescents and the evidence reported by these studies has been conflicting; however, the majority of studies report no evidence of an effect (Ishihara et al, 2020). A study by Mireku et al (2018) indicated that self-reported mobile phone use in adolescents can only differentiate between high and low users of mobile phones. This study by Cabr´e-Riera et al used questionnaires to evaluate mobile phone use and this self-reported data could have introduced inaccuracies leading to exposure misclassification. The use of speakerphone mode was also not controlled for in this study and this may have been a further source of exposure misclassification. This is because, the study estimated RF EMF exposure to the head based on call time and the use of speakerphone mode would substantially reduce RF EMF exposure from calls. There remains no substantiated scientific evidence that exposure to RF EMF causes any health effects.