Provocation study
An experiment in which a volunteer is exposed to a real or sham field without knowing which, to test whether exposure triggers symptoms or can be detected.
Last verified 12 August 2026.
- Category
- health
Definition
In a blinded provocation study the field is switched on or off by the experimenter in a sequence unknown to the participant, and often to the person taking the measurements as well. It is the design that distinguishes an effect of the field from an effect of believing the field is present, which self-reported observation cannot do. Its limits matter as much as its strength: sessions are short, exposures acute, and a null result cannot rule out effects that need long latency or real-world exposure patterns — the gap ANSES asked new research to close.
Sources
- rubin-2010 Idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (formerly 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity'): an updated systematic review of provocation studies — Rubin GJ, Nieto-Hernandez R, Wessely S — Bioelectromagnetics 31(1):1–11, 2010. peer-reviewed, link checked 2026-08-12.
- anses-2018-ehs Avis et rapport d'expertise collective — Hypersensibilité électromagnétique ou intolérance environnementale idiopathique attribuée aux champs électromagnétiques (mars 2018) — Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES), France, 2018. government, link checked 2026-08-12.
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