Exposures to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields and their impacts on children's health – What the science knows?

Abstract

Overview

The increasing public concern about the potential health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMF) on children, due to their biological vulnerability, has led to a systematic review of epidemiological and experimental studies in this field.

Findings

• The review covered areas such as cancer, birth outcomes, neurocognitive development, and behavioral problems linked to RF-EMF exposure.
• Despite recent animal studies indicating carcinogenic effects, the biological mechanisms remain unclear.
• Evidence of effects from postnatal exposure on child neurocognition and behavior but confounded by potential reverse causality linked to mobile phone use or other IT devices.
• Shortened pregnancy duration associated with increased maternal mobile phone use, though with caution due to confounding variables.
• Overall, current data does not conclusively determine the negative health outcomes from RF-EMF exposure in children.

Conclusion

The studies reviewed offer insufficient evidence to conclusively demonstrate adverse health effects from RF-EMF on children. The existing evidence emphasizes the need for improved exposure assessment and well-designed future studies to establish potential harm from RF-EMF exposure, particularly with the advancing mobile communication technologies.