Cornelia Sauter1, Torsten Eggert2, Hans Dorn3, Gernot Schmid4, Thomas Bolz5, Alexander Marasanov6, Marie-Luise Hansen7, Anita Peter8, Heidi Danker-Hopfe9. 1. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: cornelia.sauter@charite.de. 2. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: torsten.eggert@charite.de. 3. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: dorn@zedat.fu-berlin.de. 4. Seibersdorf Laboratories, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria. Electronic address: Gernot.Schmid@seibersdorf-laboratories.at. 5. Institute of Mobile and Satellite communication Technology, Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Str. 2-4, 47475 Kamp-Lintfort, Germany; RF-Frontend GmbH, Suedstr. 8, 47475 Kamp-Lintfort, Germany. Electronic address: bolz@rf-frontend.de. 6. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: marasanov2000@mail.ru. 7. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: marie-luise.hansen@charite.de. 8. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. 9. Competence Centre of Sleep Medicine, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: heidi.danker-hopfe@charite.de.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio) is a digital radio communication standard, which has been implemented in several European countries and is used by public executives, transportation services, and by private companies. Studies on possible impacts on the users' health considering different exposure conditions are missing. OBJECTIVES: To investigate possible acute effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) of two different levels of TETRA hand-held transmitter signals on cognitive function and well-being in healthy young males. METHODS: In the present double-blind cross-over study possible effects of short-term (2.5h) EMF exposure of handset-like signals of TETRA (385 MHz) were studied in 30 healthy male participants (mean±SD: 25.4±2.6 years). Individuals were tested on nine study days, on which they were exposed to three different exposure conditions (Sham, TETRA 1.5 W/kg and TETRA 6.0 W/kg) in a randomly assigned and balanced order. Participants were tested in the afternoon at a fixed timeframe. RESULTS: Attention remained unchanged in two out of three tasks. In the working memory significant changes were observed in two out of four subtasks. Significant results were found in 5 out of 35 tested parameters, four of them led to an improvement in performance. Mood, well-being and subjective somatic complaints were not affected by TETRA exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study do not indicate a negative impact of a short-term EMF-effect of TETRA on cognitive function and well-being in healthy young men.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio) is a digital radio communication standard, which has been implemented in several European countries and is used by public executives, transportation services, and by private companies. Studies on possible impacts on the users' health considering different exposure conditions are missing. OBJECTIVES: To investigate possible acute effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) of two different levels of TETRA hand-held transmitter signals on cognitive function and well-being in healthy young males. METHODS: In the present double-blind cross-over study possible effects of short-term (2.5h) EMF exposure of handset-like signals of TETRA (385 MHz) were studied in 30 healthy male participants (mean±SD: 25.4±2.6 years). Individuals were tested on nine study days, on which they were exposed to three different exposure conditions (Sham, TETRA 1.5 W/kg and TETRA 6.0 W/kg) in a randomly assigned and balanced order. Participants were tested in the afternoon at a fixed timeframe. RESULTS: Attention remained unchanged in two out of three tasks. In the working memory significant changes were observed in two out of four subtasks. Significant results were found in 5 out of 35 tested parameters, four of them led to an improvement in performance. Mood, well-being and subjective somatic complaints were not affected by TETRA exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study do not indicate a negative impact of a short-term EMF-effect of TETRA on cognitive function and well-being in healthy young men.