title: Absence of short-term effects of UMTS exposure on the human auditory system.
abstract: The aim of this study, which was performed in the framework of the European project EMFnEAR, was to investigate the potential effects of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, also known as 3G) exposure at a high specific absorption rate (SAR) on the human auditory system. Participants were healthy young adults with no hearing or ear disorders. Auditory function was assessed immediately before and after exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and only the exposed ear was tested. Tests for the assessment of auditory function were hearing threshold level (HTL), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), contralateral suppression of transiently evoked otoacoustic emission (CAS effect on TEOAE), and auditory evoked potentials (AEP). The exposure consisted of speech at a typical conversational level delivered via an earphone to one ear, plus genuine or sham RF-radiation exposure obtained by an exposure system based on a patch antenna and controlled by software. Results from 73 participants did not show any consistent pattern of effects on the auditory system after a 20-min UMTS exposure at 1947 MHz at a maximum SAR over 1 g of 1.75 W/kg at a position equivalent to the cochlea. Analysis entailed a double-blind comparison of genuine and sham exposure. It is concluded that short-term UMTS exposure at this relatively high SAR does not cause measurable immediate effects on the human auditory system.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica ISIB, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milan, Italy. marta.parazzini@polimi.it
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parazzini
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lutman
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barnel
authors.forename: Mariola
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sliwinska-Kowalska
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zmyslony
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hernadi
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stefanics
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thuroczy
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ravazzani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000528:radiation effects; D040421:Cell Phone; D003051:Cochlea / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000528:radiation effects; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011846:Radio Waves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult