title: Effects of short-term radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones on teenagers and adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the rapid increasing use of third generation (3 G) mobile phones, social concerns have arisen concerning the possible health effects of radio frequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) emitted by wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile phones in humans. The number of people, who complain of various symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and fatigue, has also increased. Recently, the importance of researches on teenagers has been on the rise. However, very few provocation studies have examined the health effects of WCDMA mobile phone radiation on teenagers.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this double-blind study, two volunteer groups of 26 adults and 26 teenagers were simultaneously investigated by measuring physiological changes in heart rate, respiration rate, and heart rate variability for autonomic nervous system (ANS), eight subjective symptoms, and perception of RF-EMFs during sham and real exposure sessions to verify its effects on adults and teenagers. Experiments were conducted using a dummy phone containing a WCDMA module (average power, 250 mW at 1950 MHz; specific absorption rate, 1.57 W/kg) within a headset placed on the head for 32 min.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short-term WCDMA RF-EMFs generated no significant changes in ANS, subjective symptoms or the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the analyzed physiological data, the subjective symptoms surveyed, and the percentages of those who believed they were being exposed, 32 min of RF radiation emitted by WCDMA mobile phones demonstrated no effects in either adult or teenager subjects.
authors.forename: Soo Beom
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Min Kyung
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Jai Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jee Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: KilSoo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Engineering, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. kdw@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Deok Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D040421:Cell Phone; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011846:Radio Waves / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012119:Respiration / Q000528:radiation effects*