Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of the Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Competence Centre for Sleep Medicine, at the Campus Benjamin Franklin, 12200, Berlin, Germany.
Seibersdorf Laboratories, 2444, Seibersdorf, Austria.
Environ Res. 2020 Dec;191:110173. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110173. Epub 2020 Sep 12.
Although there are several human experimental studies on short-term effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) on sleep, the role of effect modification by sex or age in this context has not yet been considered. In an earlier study, we observed sex differences in RF-EMF effects in elderly subjects. The present study investigated possible RF-EMF effect modifications by age in men.
Data available for the present analysis come from three double-blind, randomized cross-over studies, in which effects of different RF-EMF exposure signals on sleep were investigated in young [sample 1: 25.3 (mean) ± 2.6 (SD) years; sample 2: 25.4 ± 2.6 years; n = 30, respectively] and older (69.1 ± 5.5 years; n = 30) healthy male volunteers. Studies comprised a screening/adaptation night followed by nine experimental nights at two-week intervals. RF-EMF exposure effect modifications by age were analysed for two different exposure signals (GSM900 at 2 W/kg, TETRA at 6 W/kg), each compared to a sham exposure. Polysomnography, during which the exposure signals were delivered by a head worn antenna, as well as sleep staging were performed according to the AASM standard. Four subjective and 30 objective sleep parameters were statistically analysed related to possible RF-EMF effects.
Comparisons of sleep parameters observed under sham exposure revealed highly pronounced physiological differences between young and elderly men. A consistent exposure effect in both age groups was found for a shorter latency to persistent sleep under TETRA exposure reflecting a sleep-promoting effect. Exposure effect modifications by age were observed for two of the four self-reported sleep parameters following GSM900 exposure and for arousals during REM sleep under TETRA exposure.
As effects of a short-term all-night RF-EMF exposure on sleep occurred only sporadically in young and elderly men, it seems that age doesn't matter in this respect. However, as long as there are no corresponding data from young healthy women that would allow a comparison with the data from elderly women, this assumption cannot be conclusively verified. Nevertheless, the present results are not indicative of any adverse health effects.
虽然有几项关于射频电磁场 (RF-EMF) 对睡眠的短期影响的人体实验研究，但在这方面，性别或年龄的影响修饰作用尚未得到考虑。在早期的一项研究中，我们观察到老年受试者中 RF-EMF 效应的性别差异。本研究调查了男性中年龄对 RF-EMF 效应的可能修饰作用。
本分析可用的数据来自三项双盲、随机交叉试验，其中研究了不同 RF-EMF 暴露信号对睡眠的影响，参与者为年轻[样本 1：25.3（均值）±2.6（标准差）岁；样本 2：25.4±2.6 岁；n=30]和老年（69.1±5.5 岁；n=30）健康男性志愿者。研究包括一个筛查/适应期的夜晚，然后每隔两周进行九个实验夜晚。分析了两种不同的暴露信号（GSM900 为 2 W/kg，TETRA 为 6 W/kg）的年龄对 RF-EMF 暴露效应的修饰作用，每种暴露信号都与假暴露进行了比较。在睡眠期间，通过头戴式天线传输暴露信号，并根据 AASM 标准进行睡眠分期。对可能与 RF-EMF 效应相关的 4 项主观和 30 项客观睡眠参数进行了统计分析。
在假暴露下观察到的睡眠参数比较表明，年轻和老年男性之间存在明显的生理差异。在 TETRA 暴露下，持久睡眠潜伏期缩短，这表明睡眠促进作用，在两个年龄组中均发现了一致的暴露效应。GSM900 暴露后有两个自我报告的睡眠参数和 TETRA 暴露下 REM 睡眠中的唤醒出现了年龄对暴露效应的修饰作用。
由于短期整夜 RF-EMF 暴露对睡眠的影响在年轻和老年男性中只是偶尔发生，因此年龄在这方面似乎并不重要。然而，只要没有来自年轻健康女性的相应数据可以与老年女性的数据进行比较，就不能得出明确的结论。尽管如此，目前的结果并没有表明存在任何不良健康影响。
