In vitro non-thermal oxidative stress response after 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation
Marjanovic Cermak AM, Pavicic I, Tariba Lovakovic B, Pizent A, Trosic I · 2017
View Original AbstractCell phone-level RF radiation triggered cellular stress responses in just 10 minutes, suggesting non-thermal biological effects occur below current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human cells to cell phone radiation (1800 MHz) for up to 60 minutes at typical phone power levels. The cells showed signs of oxidative stress, including increased harmful free radicals and elevated cellular defense responses, even without heating effects.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how radiofrequency radiation affects cells at the molecular level. The researchers used 1800 MHz frequency at 1.6 W/kg SAR, which falls within the range of typical cell phone emissions. What makes this research particularly significant is that it detected biological changes at exposure levels that don't cause heating, challenging the long-held assumption that only thermal effects matter. The fact that cells showed stress responses after just 10 minutes of exposure should give us pause about our daily RF exposure patterns. While the cells adapted and remained viable, the oxidative stress response indicates that cellular machinery is working harder to maintain normal function when exposed to RF radiation. This aligns with a growing body of research showing that our current safety standards, based solely on heating effects, may not adequately protect against non-thermal biological impacts.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.6 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 30 V/m
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 10, 30 and 60 minutes
Exposure Context
This study used 30 V/m for electric fields:
- 100x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
This study used 1.6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 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
In this study possible connection between radiofrequency exposure (RF) and development of oxidative stress was investigated by measuring impairment in cellular oxidation-reduction balance immediately after RF exposure.
Fibroblast cells V79 were exposed for 10, 30 and 60 minutes to 1800 MHz RF radiation. Electric fiel...
Viability of V79 cells remained within normal physiological values regardless of exposure time. Incr...
Short-term RF exposure revealed transient oxidation-reduction imbalance in fibroblast cells following adaptation to applied experimental conditions.
Show BibTeX
@article{am_2017_in_vitro_nonthermal_oxidative_1174,
author = {Marjanovic Cermak AM and Pavicic I and Tariba Lovakovic B and Pizent A and Trosic I},
title = {In vitro non-thermal oxidative stress response after 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28836500/},
}