The Effects of Mobile Phone Electromagneticradiation on Staphylococcus aureus: A Preliminary Investigation

Due to the concern of the negative effects on human health caused by excessive use of mobile phones, numerous research have been undertaken in this area. The effect of mobile phone generated electromagnetic fields (EMF) and Radio Frequency (RF) radiation is a popular research area. A brief overview of mobile phone generated EMF and its effect on humans is presented in this paper. Subsequently, a result of a preliminary experiment that investigates the effects of EMF generated by mobile phones on bacteria that exist in human ears is discussed. The bacterium is Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a normal flora that exists in the external auditory canal (EAC). The preliminary study presented herewith investigates the growth of S. aureus when exposed to EMF produced by a GSM 900 MHz mobile phone (LG KG285 model) with peak power in the range of 0.1 to 2.0 watts. The exposure period was varied and the amount of growth was monitored by observing the number of colony forming units on solid agar medium. The preliminary results indicate that the growth of S. aureus was inhibited when it was exposed to the mobile phone generated electromagnetic fields.