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The “Mainzer EMF‐Wachhund”: results from a watchdog project on self‐reported health complaints attributed to exposure to electromagnetic fields
Author(s) -
Schüz Joachim,
Petters Christian,
Egle Ulrich Tiber,
Jansen Bernd,
Kimbel Renate,
Letzel Stephan,
Nix Wilfred,
Schmidt Lutz G.,
Vollrath Lutz
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/bem.20212
Subject(s) - medicine , population , bioelectromagnetics , family medicine , psychology , environmental health , electromagnetic field , physics , quantum mechanics
The “Mainzer EMF‐Wachhund,” a watchdog project, offered a system of self‐notification of health complaints attributed to exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to a population of a part of Germany with about 4 million inhabitants. By using a self‐administered questionnaire, which was provided online and for download from the Internet, 192 persons reported such health complaints in the period from October 2003 to March 2005. Of these, 56% classified themselves as electromagnetic hypersensitive (EH). Predictors of this self classification were being affected by all kinds of EMF rather than single EMF sources and being female. On average, EH subjects reported a high degree of suffering, 77% of whom had already sought advice from physicians. An Internet‐based standardized questionnaire is an economic way of offering affected persons a direct link to scientific institutions to establish contact. However, the study base obtained by such an approach is not representative to estimate a population‐based prevalence. As a large number of subjects did not classify themselves as EH and reported very specific links between exposure and symptoms, they may provide a very distinct and interesting group for future research. Bioelectromagnetics 27:280–287, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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