EHP: e-m-f Behavioral Effects

Birks, Laura, et al. “Maternal cell phone use during pregnancy and child behavioral problems in five
birth cohorts.” Environment International 104 (2017): 122-131.
• “Overall, 38.8% of mothers, mostly from the Danish cohort, reported no cell phone use during
pregnancy and these mothers were less likely to have a child with overall behavioral,
hyperactivity/inattention or emotional problems. Evidence for a trend of increasing risk of child
behavioral problems through the maternal cell phone use categories was observed for
hyperactivity/inattention problems. This association was fairly consistent across cohorts and
between cohorts with retrospectively and prospectively collected cell phone use data.”
Pall, Martin L. “Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread
neuropsychiatric effects including depression.” Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy vol. 75, pt. B,
2016, pp. 43-51.
• This paper considers the mechanism by which low intensity microwave EMFs impact the cells
of our bodies, how that mechanism may be predicted to impact the nervous system, evidence for
such impact from experimental animal studies, genetic polymorphism evidence for that
mechanism acting in humans to produce neuropsychiatric effects and finally, the
epidemiological evidence for such effects in human populations with repeated low level
microwave EMF exposure.
• Results show that microwave EMFs activate voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs)
concentrated in the brain. VGCC activity causes widespread neuropsychiatric effects in humans
(genetic studies). Furthermore, animal studies show such low level MWV EMFs have diverse
high impacts in the brain.

Feizhou, Zheng, et al. “Association between mobile phone use and inattention in 7102 Chinese
adolescents: a population-based cross-sectional study.” BMC Public Health, vol. 14, no. 1022, 2014.
• A cross-sectional study with 7720 middle school students assessed for inattention and
information on Mobile phone use.
• Results: Inattention in adolescents was significantly associated with mobile phone (MP)
ownership, the time spent on entertainment on MP per day, the position of the MP during the
day and the mode of the MP at night.
• The strongest association between inattention and the time spent on the MP was among students
who spent more than 60 minutes per day playing on their MP.

Narayanan SN, et al. “Evaluation of oxidant stress and antioxidant defense in discrete brain regions of
rats exposed to 900 MHz radiation.” Bratislava Medical Journal, vol. 115, no. 5, 2014, pp. 260-6.
• RF-EMR exposure for a month induced oxidative stress in rat brain, but its magnitude was
different in different regions studied. RF-EMR-induced oxidative stress could be one of the
underlying causes for the behavioral deficits seen in rats after RF-EMR exposure.

Aldad TS, et al. “Fetal Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure From 800-1900 Mhz-Rated Cellular
Telephones Affects Neurodevelopment and Behavior in Mice.” Scientific Reports, vol. 2, no. 312,
2012.
 • Mice that were exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had reduced memory
capacity.
• Authors attributed the behavioral changes to an effect during pregnancy on the development of
neurons in the prefrontal cortex region of the brain.

Divan HA, et al. “Cell phone use and behavioural problems in young children.” Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 66, no. 6, 2012, pp. 524-9.
• The findings of the previous publication were replicated in this separate group of participants
demonstrating that cell phone use was associated with behavioural problems at age 7 years in
children, and this association was not limited to early users of the technology.

Divan HA, et al. “Prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phone use and behavioral problems in
children.” Epidemiology, vol. 19, no. 4, 2012, pp. 523-9.
• Exposure to cell phones prenatally-and, to a lesser degree, postnatally-was associated with
behavioral difficulties such as emotional and hyperactivity problems around the age of school
entry.