6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Brain & Nervous System

Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats.

No Effects Found

Watilliaux A, Edeline JM, Lévêque P, Jay TM, Mallat M · 2011

View Original Abstract
Share:

Two-hour cell phone radiation exposure caused no immediate brain cell stress in young rats, but longer-term developmental effects remain unstudied.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed developing rat brains to cell phone radiation (1,800 MHz) for 2 hours at levels similar to what phones emit near your head. They looked for signs of cellular stress and brain cell damage one day later by measuring stress proteins and examining brain tissue. The study found no evidence of cellular stress or damage to developing brain cells at these exposure levels.

Why This Matters

This study provides reassuring data about acute effects of cell phone radiation on developing brains, but it has important limitations that prevent drawing broad conclusions about EMF safety. The researchers examined only immediate effects one day after exposure, missing potential longer-term impacts that other studies have documented. The exposure levels (1.7-2.5 W/kg SAR) are within current safety limits but represent significant energy absorption in developing tissue. What this means for you: while this single study found no acute brain cell damage, the developing brain remains a critical concern in EMF research. The absence of immediate cellular stress doesn't rule out subtler effects on brain development that might emerge over weeks or months, which is why many researchers advocate for precautionary approaches with children's EMF exposure.

Exposure Details

SAR
1.7 to 2.5 W/kg
Source/Device
1,800 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 h

Exposure Context

This study used 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1.7 to 2.5 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In the present study, we quantified cell stress and glial responses in the brain of developing rats one day after a single exposure of 2 h to a GSM 1,800 MHz signal at a brain average Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in the range of 1.7 to 2.5 W/kg.

Young rats, exposed to EMF on postnatal days (P) 5 (n = 6), 15 (n = 5) or 35 (n = 6), were compared ...

The GSM signal had no significant effect on the abundance of HSP60, HSC70 or HSP90, of serine racema...

These results provide no evidence for acute cell stress or glial reactions indicative of early neural cell damage, in developing brains exposed to 1,800 MHz signals in the range of SAR used in our study.

Cite This Study
Watilliaux A, Edeline JM, Lévêque P, Jay TM, Mallat M (2011). Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats. Neurotox Res. 20(2):109-119, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2011_effect_of_exposure_to_2819,
  author = {Watilliaux A and Edeline JM and Lévêque P and Jay TM and Mallat M},
  title = {Effect of exposure to 1,800 MHz electromagnetic fields on heat shock proteins and glial cells in the brain of developing rats. },
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s12640-010-9225-8

Cited By (47 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, this 2011 study found no increase in heat shock proteins HSP60, HSC70, or HSP90 in developing rat brains after 2-hour exposure to 1800 MHz radiation. The researchers detected no signs of cellular stress or damage one day after exposure at phone-typical levels.
No, researchers found no damage to glial cells after exposing developing rat brains to 1800 MHz radiation for 2 hours. Brain tissue analysis showed no changes in glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) levels or microglial cell morphology compared to unexposed animals.
No, this study found 1800 MHz GSM signals had no significant effect on glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST in developing rat brains. These proteins help regulate brain chemical communication and remained unchanged after 2-hour phone-level radiation exposure.
None according to this research. Scientists measured multiple brain proteins including heat shock proteins, glutamate transporters, and glial markers after 1800 MHz exposure. All protein levels remained normal, indicating no cellular stress or damage in developing rat brains.
This study found no brain changes even one day after 1800 MHz exposure in developing rats. Researchers examined brain tissue 24 hours post-exposure and detected no alterations in stress proteins, glial cells, or other damage markers at phone-typical radiation levels.