Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Socinstrasse 57, CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland.
Department of Public Health, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
Environ Int. 2022 Jan;158:106953. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106953. Epub 2021 Nov 1.
The technological applications of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have been steadily increasing since the 1950s across multiple sectors exposing large proportions of the population. This fact has raised concerns related to the potential consequences to people's health. The World Health Organization (WHO) is assessing the potential health effects of exposure to RF-EMF and has carried out an international survey amongst experts, who have identified six priority topics to be further addressed through systematic reviews, whereof the effects on symptoms is one of them. We report here the systematic review protocol of experimental studies in humans assessing the effects of RF-EMF on symptoms.
Our objectives are to assess the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (compared to no or lower exposure levels) on symptoms in human subjects. We will also assess the accuracy of perception of presence of exposure in volunteers with and without idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF).
We will search relevant literature sources (e.g. the Web of Science, Medline, Embase, Epistemonikos) for randomized trials (comparing at least two arms) and randomised crossover trials of RF-EMF exposure that have assessed the effects on symptoms. We will also include studies that have measured the accuracy of the perception of the presence or absence of exposure. We will include studies in any language.
Studies will be assessed against inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Data on study characteristics, participants, exposure, comparators and effects will be extracted using a specific template for this review, by two independent reviewers. Discrepancies will be solved by consensus. Risk of bias (ROB) will be assessed using the ROB Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies and the level of confidence in the evidence of the exposure-outcome relations will be assessed using the GRADE approach. For the perception studies, we will use adapted versions of the ROB tool and GRADE assessment. Where appropriate, data will be combined using meta-analytical techniques.
自 20 世纪 50 年代以来，射频电磁场（RF-EMF）的技术应用在多个领域稳步增加，使很大一部分人群暴露其中。这一事实引起了人们对射频电磁场可能对人类健康造成的潜在影响的担忧。世界卫生组织（WHO）正在评估接触射频电磁场对健康的潜在影响，并对专家进行了国际调查，专家们确定了六个优先主题，通过系统评价进一步探讨，其中之一是对症状的影响。我们在此报告一项评估人体暴露于射频电磁场对症状影响的实验研究的系统评价方案。
我们的目的是评估暴露于电磁场（与暴露水平较低或无暴露相比）对人体症状的影响。我们还将评估在有和无归因于电磁场的特发性环境不耐受（IEI-EMF）的志愿者中，对暴露存在的感知准确性。
我们将在相关文献来源（如 Web of Science、Medline、Embase、Epistemonikos）中搜索比较至少两个组的随机试验（比较至少两个组）和随机交叉试验，评估射频电磁场暴露对症状的影响。我们还将包括测量感知暴露或不存在的准确性的研究。我们将包括任何语言的研究。
两项独立的评审员将根据纳入标准评估研究。使用特定的模板，两项独立的评审员将提取研究特征、参与者、暴露、对照和效果的数据。如有分歧，将通过协商解决。使用人类和动物研究的 ROB 评价工具评估偏倚风险（ROB），并使用 GRADE 方法评估暴露-结局关系的证据水平。对于感知研究，我们将使用 ROB 工具和 GRADE 评估的改编版本。在适当的情况下，将使用元分析技术合并数据。
