Apoptosis induced by ultraviolet radiation is enhanced by amplitude modulated radiofrequency radiation in mutant yeast cells.
Markkanen A, Penttinen P, Naarala J, Pelkonen J, Sihvonen A-P, Juutilainen J · 2004
View Original AbstractPulsed cell phone radiation amplified UV-induced cell death in vulnerable yeast at typical phone exposure levels, but continuous radiation didn't.
Plain English Summary
Finnish researchers exposed yeast cells to cell phone radiation while damaging them with UV light. Pulsed radiation at 900 MHz significantly increased cell death in vulnerable cells, while continuous radiation at identical power levels had no effect, suggesting pulsing patterns matter for cellular stress responses.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a crucial detail often overlooked in EMF research: the pulsing pattern of wireless signals matters as much as their intensity. The researchers used SAR levels of 0.4 to 3.0 W/kg, which overlap with typical cell phone exposures during calls (around 1-2 W/kg). What makes this finding significant is that it demonstrates how RF radiation can act as a co-stressor, amplifying damage from other sources like UV radiation - but only when the signal is pulsed at 217 times per second, similar to GSM cell phone signals.
The reality is that virtually all our wireless devices use pulsed signals, from cell phones to WiFi routers. This research suggests we need to look beyond simple power measurements and consider how the modulation patterns of our wireless technologies might interact with other environmental stressors our cells encounter daily. While this was conducted in yeast cells, it points to biological mechanisms that warrant investigation in human cells.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.4 or 3.0 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 or 872 MHz
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study was to investigate whether radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure affects cell death processes of yeast cells.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells of the strains KFy417 (wild-type) and KFy437 (cdc48-mutant) wer...
Amplitude modulated (217 pulses per second) RF exposure significantly enhanced UV induced apoptosis ...
The findings suggest that amplitude modulated RF fields, together with known damaging agents, can affect the cell death process in mutated yeast cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2004_apoptosis_induced_by_ultraviolet_1183,
author = {Markkanen A and Penttinen P and Naarala J and Pelkonen J and Sihvonen A-P and Juutilainen J},
title = {Apoptosis induced by ultraviolet radiation is enhanced by amplitude modulated radiofrequency radiation in mutant yeast cells.},
year = {2004},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14735563/},
}