{
  "id": "questions:what-symptoms-are-attributed-to-emf",
  "collection": "questions",
  "slug": "what-symptoms-are-attributed-to-emf",
  "name": "What symptoms do people attribute to EMF?",
  "summary": "Headache, fatigue, concentration and sleep problems, dizziness, palpitations, tinnitus and skin sensations — non-specific, not a recognised syndrome, and with many common alternative causes that WHO and ANSES say should be evaluated clinically first.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "question": "Which symptoms are reported by people who believe they are sensitive to EMF?",
    "answer": "The reported symptom set is broad and non-specific: headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and memory complaints, sleep disturbance, dizziness or nausea, palpitations, tinnitus or ear pressure, and skin sensations such as burning, tingling or flushing, most often of the face. WHO notes that the collection of symptoms is not part of any recognised syndrome and that its prevalence estimates vary widely between surveys and countries. Because every one of these symptoms has many common causes, both WHO and ANSES recommend that they be investigated clinically in their own right rather than attributed to exposure in advance — which is medical advice this site records and does not substitute for.",
    "cluster": "health",
    "aliases": [
      "EHS symptoms list",
      "electrosensitivity symptoms",
      "EMF sickness symptoms"
    ],
    "related": [
      "studies:who-ehs-2005",
      "studies:anses-2018-ehs",
      "glossary:ehs",
      "questions:is-emf-sensitivity-real"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "who-ehs",
      "title": "Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (WHO backgrounder, December 2005; formerly Fact sheet 296)",
      "publisher": "World Health Organization",
      "url": "https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/hypersensitivity",
      "year": 2005,
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "anses-2018-ehs",
      "title": "Avis et rapport d'expertise collective — Hypersensibilité électromagnétique ou intolérance environnementale idiopathique attribuée aux champs électromagnétiques (mars 2018)",
      "publisher": "Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), France",
      "url": "https://www.anses.fr/fr/system/files/AP2011SA0150Ra.pdf",
      "year": 2018,
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions/what-symptoms-are-attributed-to-emf",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/questions/what-symptoms-are-attributed-to-emf",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/questions/what-symptoms-are-attributed-to-emf.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions"
  }
}