Science - Research Studies on TETRA

Funding for studies which look specifically at TETRA signals has come from both the MTHR which is funded jointly by Government and industry, and directly from the Home Office.

Below you can find brief summaries of studies that are specifically TETRA-related:

Studies Currently in Progress

Long term health monitoring study - Imperial College London

Professor Paul Elliott’s team at Imperial College London is carrying out a long-term health monitoring study on police users of TETRA radios. Conducted with a cohort of up to 80,000 users over 15 to 20 years, this will look at the incidence of and mortality for diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s, sick absence levels and trends for retirements on health grounds. Health screening is offered to participants, partly to collect data and partly as an incentive to participate in the study. A neuro-cognitive study is taking place in parallel looking at brain function and performance during various tasks.

A summary of a presentation about the Long Term Health Monitoring study made by Imperial College team members at a TIG event in September 2006 can be found on our Events page.

For an update on progress with the Long Term Health Monitoring Study, published in November 2011, click here.

Recently Completed Studies

Hypersensitivity and exposure to TETRA radio signals - Kings College London

A team at King’s College, London has carried out a double-blind provocation study to investigate whether the TETRA radios used by the emergency services can cause unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and tingling.

The results of the study, titled "Can Exposure to a terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA-like) signal cause symptoms? A randomised double-blind provocation study", were published on 23 September 2010 in Occupational Environmental Medicine. A pdf of the article can be seen by clicking here (opens in a new window).

A presentation by Dr James Rubin about the methodology of this study, made at a TIG event in 2008 can be found on our Events page.

Hypersensitivity and exposure from TETRA base stations – University of Essex

Professor Elaine Fox and her team from the University of Essex conducted a two-year study to establish if there are any short-term health effects from exposure to TETRA mobile radio masts, and in particular to look at people who appear to be particularly sensitive to the technology. For the results of the study, click here.

Visit also our Events page where you can find summaries of presentations given at TIG events in 2008 and 2009 by the University of Essex about their work.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory work on cellular calcium

The biomedical sciences department of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory conducted an investigation into the effect of TETRA signals on cellular calcium. The study simulated the maximum exposure that can arise from TETRA handsets, as well as looking at several lower power levels to see if there could be ‘power windows’ where TETRA signals could cause a reaction.

No effects on calcium response were found at any of the TETRA power levels. The results were published in the International Journal of Radiation Biology in December 2006 (click here to view).

A summary of a presentation made by Dr John Tattersall of DSTL at a TIG seminar in 2007 can be found on our Events page.

Cognitive Study - DSTL

The Home Office funded work by Dr Sarah Bowditch and her team at DSTL to examine the effects of TETRA signal exposure on cognitive function and to assess the results of a self assessment of mood, workload and anxiety. No effects on mood or anxiety measures or reported symptoms were observed, and no impact of signal exposure was observed on 21 of 22 cognitive tasks. The work has been submitted for publication to Bioelectromagnetics Journal.

A summary of a presentation given by Sarah Smith at a TIG seminar in 2007 can be found on our Events page.

Heart rate and Blood Pressure Study - University of Sheffield

A double blind provocation study, using both GSM and TETRA signals, was undertaken by a team led by Professor Tony Barker. The study investigated whether exposure to the signals caused changes in heart rate or blood pressure and also measured levels of adrenaline in the bloodstream, Neither changes in heart rate and blood pressure nor in blood chemistry were observed as a result of exposure. The work was published in Bioelectromagnetics 2007 28(6):433-438).

A summary of a presentation given by Professor Barker at a TIG seminar in 2008 can be found on our Events page.

In-vehicle Exposure - Dr Phil Chadwick

Dr Phil Chadwick investigated exposure to TETRA signals in vehicles and on motor-cycles. He measured SARs (Specific Absorption Rates) in situations where TETRA radios were used in cars or on motor-cycles and where there were combinations of hand held and vehicle-mounted radios, to see whether there was additivity or whether the vehicle structure had an effect. The work found that the impact of vehicle antennae was negligible and found no additive effect in a vehicle containing more than one police officer with a radio. The full report can be found here.

A presentation given by Dr Phil Chadwick at a TIG seminar in 2007 can be found on our Events page.