Increased Concentrations of Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants in Subjects with Self-Reported Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity—A Pilot Study

Abstract

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is used for a variety of subjective symptoms related to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the concentrations of certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in subjects with self-reported EHS. In total, 13 EHS subjects and 21 controls were included, all female. The concentration of several POPs was higher in EHS subjects than in controls. Lower concentrations were found for hexachlorobenzene and two types of chlordanes. The only significantly increased odds ratios (ORs) were found for polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) #47 yielding OR=11.7, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.45–94.7 and the chlordane metabolite MC6 with OR=11.2, 95% CI=1.18–106. The results were based on low numbers and must be interpreted with caution. This hypothesis generating study indicates the necessity of a larger investigation on this issue.

Keywords:

• Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
• Persistent organic pollutants
• Brominated flame-retardants
• PCBs