Induction of oxidative stress in male rats subchronically exposed to electromagnetic fields at non-thermal intensities.
Achudume A, Onibere B, Aina F, Tchokossa P. · 2010
View Original AbstractSixty days of cell phone-level RF radiation overwhelmed rats' antioxidant defenses, suggesting chronic exposure may cause cumulative cellular damage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz and 1800 MHz) for 40 or 60 days. While 40 days showed no effects, 60 days significantly weakened the animals' antioxidant defenses and altered cellular chemistry, suggesting prolonged exposure may overwhelm natural protection against cellular damage.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how chronic RF exposure affects cellular health, even at levels considered 'safe' by current standards. The SAR levels used (0.95-3.9 W/kg) are within the range of typical cell phone exposure, making these findings directly relevant to everyday device use. What makes this research particularly significant is the time-dependent effect: the same exposure that caused no harm at 40 days produced measurable oxidative stress at 60 days. This pattern suggests that current safety testing, which typically examines only short-term effects, may miss important long-term biological changes. The researchers' recommendation for regular monitoring of antioxidant systems in people working near cell towers reflects a growing recognition that we need better biomarkers to assess RF exposure effects in real-world scenarios.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.95 - 3.9 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 0.0000023 ± 0.00000082 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz and 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 40 and/or 60 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.95 - 3.9 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.4x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To investigate the oxidative stress-inducing potential of non-thermal electromagnetic fields in rats.
Male Wister rats were exposed to electrical field intensity of 2.3 ± 0.82 µV/m . Exposure was in thr...
At 40 days, electromagnetic radiation failed to induce any significant alterations. However, at 60 d...
The present studies showed some biochemical changes that may be associated with a prolong exposure to electromagnetic fields and its relationship to the activity of antioxidant system in rat Regular assessment and early detection of antioxidative defense system among people working around the base stations are recommended.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2010_induction_of_oxidative_stress_789,
author = {Achudume A and Onibere B and Aina F and Tchokossa P.},
title = {Induction of oxidative stress in male rats subchronically exposed to electromagnetic fields at non-thermal intensities.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://www.scirp.org/html/5-9801048_2593.htm?pagespeed=noscript},
}