The MOBI-Kids Study Protocol: Challenges in Assessing Childhood and Adolescent Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields from Wireless Telecommunication Technologies and Possible Association with Brain Tumor Risk

Abstract

The rapid increase in mobile phone use in young people has generated concern about possible health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) and extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF). MOBI-Kids, a multinational case–control study, investigates the potential effects of childhood and adolescent exposure to EMF from mobile communications technologies on brain tumor risk in 14 countries. The study, which aims to include approximately 1,000 brain tumor cases aged 10–24 years and two individually matched controls for each case, follows a common protocol and builds upon the methodological experience of the INTERPHONE study. The design and conduct of a study on EMF exposure and brain tumor risk in young people in a large number of countries is complex and poses methodological challenges. This manuscript discusses the design of MOBI-Kids and describes the challenges and approaches chosen to address them, including: (1) the choice of controls operated for suspected appendicitis, to reduce potential selection bias related to low response rates among population controls; (2) investigating a young study population spanning a relatively wide age range; (3) conducting a large, multinational epidemiological study, while adhering to increasingly stricter ethics requirements; (4) investigating a rare and potentially fatal disease; and (5) assessing exposure to EMF from communication technologies. Our experience in thus far developing and implementing the study protocol indicates that MOBI-Kids is feasible and will generate results that will contribute to the understanding of potential brain tumor risks associated with use of mobile phones and other wireless communications technologies among young people.

Numerical Implementation of Representative Mobile Phone Models for Epidemiological Studies

“…The Mobi-Kids Study [6] is a multinational epidemiological case-control study of brain tumors in young people aged 10 to 24 in relation to electromagnetic field exposure from mobile phones and other sources. In that study, a different approach was used to evaluate the SAR in human head models for mobile phone radiation.…”

Effects of Mobile Phones on Children's and Adolescents’ Health: A Commentary

“…There are few studies on brain tumor risk for children from use of wireless phones. MOBI‐Kids is one study that is ongoing (Sadetzki et al., ). A multicenter case–control study included children and adolescents aged 7–19 years.…”

Frequent cellular phone use modifies hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis response to a cellular phone call after mental stress in healthy children and adolescents: A pilot study

“…Potential endocrine effects from this technology expansion in pediatric and adolescent populations is suggested by the European Health Risk Assessment Network on Electromagnetic Fields Exposure in its 2012 report (EHFRAN, 2012;Sadetzki et al, 2014): "These groups represent the first generation of Europeans to be exposed to diffuse EMF fields since conception and birth, thus, are expected to be more sensitive to these fields".…”