Effect of short exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on saliva biomarkers: a study on the electrohypersensitive individuals.

Context: Some individuals are reporting being sensitive to electromagnetic fields. They report some unspecific symptoms like headeache, sleep disruption, heart palpitations, itching, etc. The lack of scientific objective links between EHS symptoms and EMF exposure renders the diagnosis of EHS more complex. Purpose: Our present work aimed to look for the effect of RF EMF exposure on saliva alpha amylase (AA) and other biological markers such as cortisol and IgA in EHS individuals. Participants and methods: Ten EHS individuals participated in this double-blind provocation study. They were aged between 35 and 63 yr. Experiment consisted of two sessions (sham and real exposure). No external EMF sources were allowed, and the exposure consisted of a series of EMF signals emitted from a generator (Rhode & Schwarz) and a horn antenna (Schwarzbeck BBHA9120b). Consecutive RF signals were applied: GSM 900, GSM 1800, DECT, and Wi-Fi signals for 5 min each. Results: Exposure to 4 consecutive radiofrequency signals did not show any significant modification (p > .05) on the saliva AA, cortisol or immunoglobulin A concentrations in the electrohypersensitive individuals. Conclusions: Our study, under current conditions, do not presently allow us to propose an identification of marker for EHS.