Abstract

Overview

This prospective cohort study investigates the potential health impacts of mobile phone use, particularly the association between phone call duration and the incidence of headache, tinnitus, and hearing loss among users in Sweden and Finland.

Background

• Concerns about mobile phone use relate to exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and subsequent health symptoms.
• Previous studies showed mixed results, prompting further investigation through this robust cohort study.

Methods

• Participants from Sweden (n=21049) and Finland (n=3120) were followed.
• Mobile phone usage data was collected from network operator records.
• Follow-up questionnaires assessed frequency of symptoms and other related characteristics.

Findings

• A slight increase in headache frequency was observed in participants with the highest mobile phone use after four years.
• No clear relationship was found between call-time and headache occurrence when adjusted for other factors.
• There was no association found between mobile phone use and occurrences of tinnitus or hearing loss.

Conclusion

The study noted a minor increase in headache reports among high-frequency mobile phone users, which could not be directly attributed to RF-EMF exposure, as the association diminished after adjusting for confounding variables. This underscores the potential influence of other factors such as lifestyle in explaining the weak association observed. Importantly, no risks associated with either tinnitus or hearing loss were identified, indicating further research is needed to fully understand the dynamics of mobile phone use and health risks.