Phone tower radiation and health
June 20, 2025
Does living near a mobile phone tower affect a person’s health?
A new study by scientists from India and Australia shows that it can.
The researchers investigated health symptoms and exposure levels of 183 adults living within 300 metres of a mobile phone base station (operating at 900-1900 MHz) in Mizoram, India. ‘The study was conducted in a highly populated city, where MPBS are very close to dwellings, and where there is a great deal of telecommunications traffic occurring 24/ 7’, the authors said.
The authors compared the symptoms of people living within 300m of the phone tower with those living at least 400m away which they categorised as the ‘reference group’. They found that ‘there was a set of various health symptoms that showed proportionally greater levels in the highly exposed group compared to the reference group, as follows: (1) Mood-Energy: anxiety, agitation, increased irritability, fatigue, dizziness; (2) Cognitive- Sensory: concentration problems, memory problems, problem-solving issues, ear problems, skin problems, abnormal sensations; (3) Inflammatory: headache, allergy, increased infections, weight problems, chest pain, irregular heart beat; (4) Anatomical: joint pain, muscle problems, nerve pain, digestive problems, loss of appetite, nausea.’
And that’s not all they found.
- People who were exposed to higher levels of radiation had more symptoms than those who were less exposed.
- People who had lived close to the base station for 9 to 18 years experienced more agitation, sleep problems, skin problems, abnormal sensations, allergies and loss of appetite.
- Common symptoms included anxiety, concentration, memory, problem solving and headaches, irrespective of the length of time that people had lived close to the base station.
- People aged over 40 had more problems of the ears, eyes, chest and joints, more nerve pain and irregular heartbeat.
- Highly exposed people under the age of 40 reported more inflammation-related problems, such as infections and allergies.
The finding of greater infections and allergies for the under 40's is concerning,’ said Dr Julie McCredden, co-author of the paper and President of the Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association (ORSAA). ‘These symptoms suggest stressed or compromised immune systems may be linked to long term exposures, and this needs further investigation.
The study showed that mobile phone radiation also affected symptoms. It found that, irrespective of the distance people lived from the phone tower, ‘proportionally more of those who used a mobile phone for more than 5 hr per day reported anxiety, memory problems, problem solving issues, visual disruption, and abnormal sensation.
The results of this study are likely to be relevant to many cities and towns in Australia where people are living or close to towers with long term 24/7 exposures of around 5–8 mW/m2,’ said McCredden. ‘Communities and families need to be informed of these potential effects so that they can better balance the benefits of technology against the risks.
The findings of this study have implications for the rollout of our wireless technology. ‘These results underscore the need to inform policymakers regarding the benefits of adopting a precautionary approach to potential risks associated with RF-EMF exposures from MPBS,’ the authors wrote.
Lalhruaitluangi Sailo, Laldinpuii, Mary Zosangzuali, Steven Weller, C. Lalfamkima Varte, Lalchhandami Tochhawng, Julie E. McCredden & Zothansiama (08 Jun 2025): Greater prevalence of symptoms associated with higher exposures to mobile phone base stations in a hilly, densely populated city in Mizoram, India, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, DOI: 10.1080/15368378.2025.2513900, https://doi.org/10.1080/153683...
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