In re thread title, "EMF from cellphones causes high blood pressure: study", I do not think the offered literature supports this statement.
The assertion of causality is what is in doubt.
Here is a funny line from the
Cosmos↗ magazine article:
Because the study is observational, it can't establish cause – it could be that people who use mobile phones more have other lifestyle factors that increase their blood pressure, like high-stress jobs.
But the researchers do suggest three possible reasons for their results: the link between increased mobile phone use and worse mental health, the possibility of RF radiation causing health problems, and the act of holding a phone to the ear – although they think the last is unlikely, since they could still see higher hypertension in people who used hands-free sets.
There are two things to note, there: First, the study "can't establish cause". Right there, the thread title is contradicted.
But look at what the researchers suggest, and consider the three possible reasons. Radiation? Unlikely compared to how the radiation discussion has gone over the course of decades. The act of holding a phone? Sure, even the researchers think it's unlikely, but think about how particular that is. And then think about "the link between increased mobile phone use and worse mental health". That broad category is the leading "possible reason" for the link between mobile phones and hypertension.
Hypertension associated with mobile phone use is most likely related to user behavior. "The link between increased mobile phone use and worse mental health" is a question, not an answer. Anecdotally, sure, my phone raises my blood pressure, and in more ways than I can count. "The link between increased mobile phone use and worse mental health" is far too broad to be of any use.
The release from the
European Society of Cardiology↱ also does not support the EMF claim in the thread title. The constraint in device usage to actually talking on the phone has its place in the scientific discussion, compared to other aspects of phone use might also contribute to hypertension. However, what are those phone calls? How is the content and conduct of those phone calls accounted? If I'm arguing with a creditor, that will raise my blood pressure. Stressful calls with a relative can raise blood pressure, and so can otherwise calm-sounding discussions. In the end, the behavioral values describing how we use our phones will tell us more about device relationships with hypertension.
And thirty minutes in a week? I don't know quite how to put that question, but it's important to assessing phone use conduct. For me, thirty minutes a week would between one and twenty calls, and virtually none of those conversations would be stress-free. I can't tell you, for instance, how all those British people use their phones, but I can certainly recall the time Crowley took down the phone network at lunchtime, and why. The stress of phone conversations is not a new phenomenon.
The
study itself↱ does consider EMFs, but they are not mentioned in the abstract. And it is important to observe that the brief discussion of EMFs in the Introduction and Discussion sections of the study do not support the statement that "EMF from cellphones causes high blood pressure". The Discussion considers "some previous studies", and observes, "the biological mechanisms underlying the positive association between time spent making or receiving calls on a mobile phone and the risk of hypertension still need to be further elucidated". The Introduction is much more clear, despite describing EMFs as a "gap in knowledge".
Thus, the suggestion in
#4↑, that "the issue causing the high blood pressure does not seem to be a result of stress but as a result of exposure to low-frequency radiofrequency fields from phones, as the European Society of Cardiology suggested", is false. While the role of stress in hypertension is well-established in general, it is not well quantified in this particular question. However, the assertion of "low-frequency radiofrequency fields from phones" as a cause is not supported by the paper, and attributing that finding to the European Society of Cardiology is a misrepresentation.
The more direct statement that "EMF from cellphones causes high blood pressure" is not supported by journal article, nor the European Society of Cardiology press release; the
Cosmos article explicitly states the observational study "can't establish cause".
This is not any groundbreaking study; it looks more like a necessary waypoint in a larger scientific process. Professor Qin, for instance, explaining that, ceteris paribus, "it seems prudent to keep mobile phone calls to a minimum to preserve heart health", is fine advice, but hardly dramatic, and certainly not groundbreaking.
But the difference between the title claim and what the cited literature says stands out, while the study underlying those discussions considers the point a gap in knowledge that is not resolved in the journal paper.
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Notes:
ESC Press Office. "Mobile phone calls linked with increased risk of high blood pressure". Press Release. European Society of Cardiology. 5 May 2023. ESCardio.org. 10 May 2023. https://bit.ly/3O0x7Dw
Phiddian, Ellen. "Mobile phones and hypertension: new study suggests there’s a link". Cosmos. 9 May 2023. CosmosMagazine.com. 10 May 2023. https://bit.ly/44Px835
Ye, Ziliang, Yanjun Zhang, et al. "Mobile phone calls, genetic susceptibility, and new-onset hypertension: results from 212 046 UK Biobank participants". European Heart Journal — Digital Health. 4 May 2023. Academic.OUP.com. 10 May 2023. https://bit.ly/3NZ36DV
