Effect of Mobile Phone Usage on Hearing Threshold: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Introduction: Mobile phones use electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range, which can be harmful to hearing. Earlier studies have showed an increase in hearing threshold with more than 30 minutes usage of mobile phones per day. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the duration of usage of mobile phones per day and the change in auditory threshold. Materials and Methods: After obtaining institutional ethical committee clearance, 50 subjects, aged between 15 and 40 years, from institutional campus using mobile phones for more than 5 years were selected for this study. 25 subjects who used mobile phones for <30 min/day formed the control group, while 25 subjects who used their mobile phones for >30 min/day formed the test group. Pure-tone audiometry was done on all the subjects. Results: There was a significant increase in the hearing thresholds at all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in right ear in test group compared with the control group. Similarly, there was a significant increase in the hearing thresholds at all frequencies in air conduction and bone conduction in left ear also except for bone conduction at frequency 4 and 6 kHz. Conclusions: There is a significant increase in the hearing threshold in mobile phone users associated with duration of usage.