Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Study:
TETRA

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TETRA study results

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Do TETRA Masts Affect Human Health and Well-being?

We are pleased to announce that the Electromagnetics and Health Research team have been awarded funding from the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) to establish if there are any short-term health effects from exposure to TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) mobile radio masts.  The principle investigator is Professor Elaine Fox. The project started in January 2007 and will be completed in December 2008.

The aim of this study is to determine if the electromagnetic fields emitted by TETRA base stations affect a variety of health and well-being indices in people who experience sensitivity to electromagnetic fields and those who do not. We are hoping to test 132 sensitive and 132 control (non-sensitive) participants. All testing will take place in the Electromagnetics and Health Laboratory at the University of Essex. In order to be scientifically valid, the study will be conducted under “double-blind” conditions. This simply means that neither the person conducting the research, nor the person being tested will know when the base station is “on” or “off”. Once we have completed the data collection phase (testing all our participants), we will “crack the code” and see to what extent the electromagnetic fields affect a variety of symptoms that people have reported, as well as measures of blood pressure and heart-rate.

Study Design

This study involves one open provocation session and two double blind sessions, which means that participants will need to travel to the University of Essex on three separate occasions, each time one week apart. 

Session 1:  During this session, we will take a brief medical history and participants will complete a set of standardised questionnaires.  Each participant will then complete an open provocation test in which both the researcher and participant know when the base station is 'on' and emitting a TETRA signal, or 'off' (sham signal). During this time participants will record how they are feeling and any symptoms that they are experiencing. Exposure conditions (TETRA and SHAM) will each be 15 minutes long.  At the end they will perform a short test for concentration and memory. Participants will also complete a quick double blind test in which they will make a judgement as to whether they believe the base station is ‘on’ or ‘off’.

Sessions 2 and 3:  These sessions are double blind, but this time participants only receive one exposure condition per session. Each session is 50 minutes long.  For example, session 2 might be TETRA while session 3 might be sham, or vice versa.  During these sessions participants will spend 20 minutes relaxing and watching a video, followed by 20 minutes doing a high load task.  Participants will then perform an attention task, a memory task, and finally make a judgement as to whether the base station is ‘on’ or ‘off’. At the end of sessions 2 and 3 participants will be given follow-up questionnaires in which they can record how they are feeling the week after the session.

All testing will take place in an electrically screened room and the mast, which will be out of sight, will emit electromagnetic fields similar to a normal TETRA base station, which is significantly less powerful than the electromagnetic fields emitted by the mobile terminals themselves. When the base station is on the power output is 10mW/m², which is no more than people would experience in an average outdoor environment.