Review by the WHO Concludes Cellphones Have No Impact on Cognition
The review analyzed 5 studies involving 4,639 participants and concluded that radio waves do not interfere with cognition.
Exposure to mobile phones has no impact on learning, memory, attention span, or other cognitive functions like coordination, as per a review commissioned by the World Health Organization on radio wave exposure from mobile phones.
The purpose of the systematic review is to conduct an updated health risk assessment of radio wave exposure, which will aid in drafting a new Environmental Health Criterion on the topic.
Carried out by Monash University and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Associate Professor Ken Karipidis stated that the review addressed a longstanding community concern.
“One of the motivations for this research was to evaluate effects on the brain since mobile phones are typically held close to the head during calls,” he noted.
“One of the challenges in studying the impacts of mobile phones on health is distinguishing radiation exposure from behavioral effects stemming from social media and gaming on our cognition. Overall, the review found that radio wave exposure from mobile phones does not impact cognition.”
Despite initially finding 3,945 papers on the subject, only five utilized appropriate methods and were thus included in the final analysis.
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These studies encompassed 4,639 participants, with 2,808 adults and 1,831 children, across Australia, Singapore, and Switzerland. The studies were conducted from 2006 to 2017.
Researchers reviewed studies that explored learning and memory, executive function, complex attention, language, perceptual motor ability, and social cognition concerning radio frequency exposure. Tests administered to participants indicated minimal to no effect related to cellphone use, measured in calls per week or minutes per day.
Even in older individuals, mobile phone usage did not seem to impact cognition, although this finding had “very low certainty” due to only one study including this demographic.
Due to the limited number of studies in the review, further research is needed to examine various populations, exposures, and cognitive outcomes, particularly studies investigating environmental and occupational exposure in adults, the researchers stated.
Concerns Persist
While this review indicates that cellphone radiation does not affect cognitive functions, other research cautions that high exposure levels due to prolonged usage can lead to cancer (though findings are debated), eye strain, neck pain, back pain, and mental health issues, especially among adolescents.
Statistics from Statista reveal a consistent rise in mobile phone users and penetration levels in Australia. The number of Australian smartphone users is anticipated to increase from 19.9 million in 2017 to 23.6 million by 2026.
