Changes in mitochondrial functioning with electromagnetic radiation of ultra high frequency as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance methods.
Burlaka A, Selyuk M, Gafurov M, Lukin S, Potaskalova V, Sidorik E. · 2014
View Original AbstractRadar-level EMF exposure disrupted cellular energy production and increased harmful free radicals in rat tissues for nearly a month.
Plain English Summary
Ukrainian researchers exposed rats to ultra-high frequency electromagnetic radiation at levels permitted for radar station workers and studied the effects on cellular powerhouses called mitochondria. They found significant disruption in how mitochondria produce energy, particularly increased production of harmful free radicals and reduced oxygen delivery to cells. The damage was more severe when the radiation was delivered in pulses rather than continuously, suggesting that everyday wireless devices that pulse signals may pose greater risks to cellular health.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that EMF exposure at occupational safety limits can disrupt fundamental cellular energy production. The study's focus on mitochondria is particularly significant because these cellular powerhouses are essential for every biological process in your body. When mitochondria malfunction, cells can't produce adequate energy and begin generating harmful free radicals that damage surrounding tissues. What makes this study especially relevant is that the researchers used exposure levels considered 'safe' for radar workers. Yet they documented clear biological damage that persisted for 28 days after exposure ended. The finding that pulsed radiation caused more damage than continuous exposure has direct implications for modern wireless technology, since most devices from cell phones to WiFi routers transmit in pulses. This adds to a growing body of evidence showing that current safety standards, based solely on heating effects, fail to protect against the biological impacts occurring at much lower exposure levels.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
To study the effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) of ultra high frequency (UHF) in the doses equivalent to the maximal permitted energy load for the staffs of the radar stations on the biochemical processes that occur in the cell organelles.
Liver, cardiac and aorta tissues from the male rats exposed to non-thermal UHF EMR in pulsed and con...
The qualitative and quantitative disturbances in electron transport chain (ETC) of mitochondria are ...
(i) Abnormalities in the mitochondrial ETC of liver and aorta cells are more pronounced for animals radiated in a pulsed mode; (ii) the alterations in the functioning of the mitochondrial ETC cause increase of superoxide radicals generation rate in all samples, formation of cellular hypoxia, and intensification of the oxide-initiated metabolic changes; and (iii) electron paramagnetic resonance methods could be used to track the qualitative and quantitative changes in the mitochondrial ETC caused by the UHF EMR.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2014_changes_in_mitochondrial_functioning_1937,
author = {Burlaka A and Selyuk M and Gafurov M and Lukin S and Potaskalova V and Sidorik E.},
title = {Changes in mitochondrial functioning with electromagnetic radiation of ultra high frequency as revealed by electron paramagnetic resonance methods.},
year = {2014},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24597749/},
}