Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) refers to a range of symptoms that individuals report experiencing in response to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by human-made sources, such as power lines, electronic devices, and cell towers. Commonly reported symptoms include headaches, fatigue, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and dermatological issues like rashes and tingling sensations. The prevalence of EHS is estimated to be between 3% and 10% in developed countries, with higher reports in Scandinavian nations.
While some studies suggest links between EHS and conditions such as depression or anxiety, the scientific community remains divided. The World Health Organization does not recognize EHS as a medical diagnosis due to insufficient evidence supporting the condition's existence. Researchers face challenges in studying EHS due to the pervasive nature of EMFs in modern life, which complicates the isolation of study variables. Recent studies have explored various hypotheses regarding the condition, including the potential for psychological factors or underlying medical issues contributing to reported symptoms. Despite ongoing research, a definitive consensus on the existence or causes of electromagnetic hypersensitivity has yet to be established, leaving many individuals who experience symptoms seeking understanding and validation for their condition.
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
- DEFINITION: A broad range of symptoms caused by environmental exposure to electrical and magnetic fields.
Overview
Electromagnetic (EMF) fields, such as Earth's, occur naturally in the environment. EMF hypersensitivity, however, is reported in association with human-made EMFs, such as those produced by power lines, appliances, and cell phone towers. Reported symptoms of EMF exposure include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, lack of concentration, depression, and anxiety. Others report dermatologic symptoms such as rashes, tingling, or a burning sensation. Issues affecting the eyes and the gastrointestinal system have also been reported. Some experience neurological symptoms or suffer from sleep disturbances and tinnitus. In developed countries, the reported prevalence of electromagnetic hypersensitivity ranges between 3 and 10 percent, with Scandinavian countries falling on the higher end of the range.
In a well-designed study published in 2008, researchers found high rates of depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorder and higher rates of sick days, doctor visits, poorer sleep, and altered cortical excitability in EMF-sensitive persons, in comparison with age- and gender-matched controls. However, those persons identified as EMF sensitive were less able than controls to determine when they were exposed to EMFs under experimental conditions. This surprising finding has been replicated in other studies. Animal studies provide some of the most convincing evidence for sensitivity to EMFs. For instance, a 2004 study showed that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strand breaks were associated with EMF exposure in a rat model.
Issues
EMF sensitivity is highly controversial and greatly scrutinized. The World Health Organization, among other entities, does not recognize EMF hypersensitivity as a medical diagnosis because the evidence for the condition is not strong. Gaining that evidence is difficult because of the ubiquity of electronic devices in the culture of the twenty-first century. The wide reach of these devices makes it increasingly difficult to shield study subjects from extraneous EMFs. Also, much of the literature on this topic had poor study design, including a lack of statistical power because of low numbers of test subjects.
A study conducted at the end of the 2010s examined three hypotheses for EMF sensitivity. First, it explored the feasibility of EMF exposure legitimately causing electromagnetic hypersensitivity. The study also looked at the possibility that those who reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity were doing so under false beliefs. Finally, the study researched whether patients who reported EMF sensitivity were doing so to cope with other underlying medical conditions. No hypothesis was deemed medically acceptable, and more research is needed. However, a 2023 study found a link between EMF hypersensitivity and the immune system’s response to oxidative stress, suggesting a physiological basis for the condition, although the sample size was small. Additionally, a 2021 study examined the relationship between EMF hypersensitivity and somatic symptom disorder, and the results suggested that psychological factors played a significant role in EMF hypersensitivity. Although scientific studies on EMF hypersensitivity have continued, in the twenty-first century, there is no scientific consensus on the existence of EMF hypersensitivity or valid scientific evidence that it is the cause of the symptoms reported.
A central issue remained that most of the persons with reported EMF hypersensitivity who had been studied were self-diagnosed, leading many health experts to claim that they were misdiagnosing themselves; a physician-conducted differential diagnosis might resolve some of these issues. It is important to note, however, that while science may view EMF hypersensitivity as a psychosomatic illness, the symptoms experienced by patients may be legitimate.
Bibliography
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Dieudonné, Maël. "Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: A Critical Review of Explanatory Hypotheses." Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 48. 6 May. 2020, doi:10.1186/s12940-020-00602-0.
Lai, H., and N. P. Singh. "Magnetic-Field-Induced DNA Strand Breaks in Brain Cells of the Rat." Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 112, 2004, pp. 687-694.
Landgrebe, M., et al. "Cognitive and Neurobiological Alterations in Electromagnetic Hypersensitive Patients." Psychological Medicine, vol. 38, 2008, pp. 1781-1791.
Levallois, Patrick. "Hypersensitivity of Human Subjects to Environmental Electric and Magnetic Field Exposure." Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 110, 2002, pp. 613-618.
"Radiation and Health." World Health Organization, www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/emf/hypersensitivity. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Rubin, G. James, Rosa Nieto-Hernandez, and Simon Wessely. "Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance Attributed to Electromagnetic Fields (Formerly ‘Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity’): An Updated Systematic Review of Provocation Studies." Bioelectromagnetics, vol. 31, 2010, pp. 1-11.
Thoradit, T., et al. "Hypersensitivity to Man-Made Electromagnetic Fields (EHS) Correlates with Immune Responsivity to Oxidative Stress: A Case Report." Communicative & Integrative Biology, vol. 17, no. 1, 2024, doi.org/10.1080/19420889.2024.2384874. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Tung, Liz. "Science vs Science: The Contradictory Fight Over Whether Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Is Real." WHYY, 23 Apr. 2021, whyy.org/segments/science-vs-science-the-contradictory-fight-over-whether-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity-is-real/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.