This randomized study tested whether viewing alarmist media and participating in an open-label RF-EMF provocation trial influenced non-specific symptoms and salivary cortisol. Participants who believed they were being exposed reported more symptoms than those who believed they were not exposed. The study did not find a replicated effect of alarmist media or open-label RF-EMF exposure on salivary cortisol, suggesting reported symptoms were more related to perception than cortisol-measured stress.

This protocol describes the third wave of the HERMES prospective adolescent cohort in Switzerland, with follow-up every four months and at one year. The study will assess electronic media use, modeled RF-EMF and transportation noise exposures, and a range of outcomes including cognition, behavior, sleep, mental health, and non-specific symptoms. A subsample will undergo personal RF-EMF measurements and accelerometer-based sleep/physical activity tracking.