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The rapid growth of information and communication technologies in our daily lives accompanies an increased exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). The most common source of exposure to the brain is when a cell phone is held near the head.
A new Swiss study reveals that RF-EMF can impair memory performance in specific regions of the brain exposed while a person is speaking. a cell phone. The study, which involved nearly 700 adolescents in Switzerland, is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives .
While several studies were conducted to determine the potential health effects RF-EMF, the results remained For the present study, scientists from the Swiss Institute of Tropical Health and Public Health (Swiss TPH ) studied the relationship between exposure to RF-EMF fields and the memory performance of nearly 700 adolescents over a period of one year. . The participants, aged 12 to 17, were recruited from the 7th to 9th public schools in urban and rural areas of German-speaking Switzerland.
The study follows a report published in 2015 in the scientific journal Environment International, but now twice the size of the sample as well as more recent information on RF-absorption. EMF in the brains of adolescents during different types of use of wireless communication devices. These studies are the first epidemiological reports to estimate cumulative RF-EMF brain dose in adolescents.
The results show that cumulative RF-EMF exposure of the brain of a cell phone for a year can have a negative effect on the development of memory performance in adolescents. This confirms the previous results published in 2015.
Figural memory is mainly located in the right hemisphere of the brain, and the association with RF-EMF was more pronounced among adolescents who held the mobile phone of the brain. right side of the head.
"This may suggest that the RF-EMFs absorbed by the brain are indeed responsible for the observed associations," says Martin Röösli, Ph.D., Head of Environmental Exposures and Health at Swiss TPH.
Other types of common use of wireless communications, such as sending text messages, playing games or surfing the Internet only cause marginal exposure to electromagnetic waves and are not related to memory .
"A unique feature of this study is the use given to mobile operators," Röösli said. He pointed out that more research is needed to rule out the influence of other factors.
"For example, the results of the study may have been affected by puberty, affecting both cell phone use and the participant's cognitive and behavioral state. potential of RF-EMF exposure to brain constitute a relatively new field of scientific investigation.
"It is not yet known how RF-EMF could potentially affect brain processes or the relevance of our findings in the long run, "Röösli said." The potential risks to the brain can be minimized by using a headset or the speakerphone during the call, especially when the network quality is low and the phone is working at maximum power. "
Source: Tropical and Public Health Institute
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