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

Cellular Effects

Effects of exposure to DAMPS and GSM signals on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity: I. L-929 mouse fibroblasts.

No Effects Found

Billaudel B, Taxile M, Ruffie G, Veyret B, Lagroye I. · 2009

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Cell phone signals showed no effect on a cancer-related enzyme in mouse cells, even at exposure levels exceeding safety limits.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed mouse cells to cell phone signals (DAMPS and GSM) for one hour to see if it would increase activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme linked to cell growth and potentially cancer development. They found no significant changes in ODC activity at exposure levels of 2.5 and 6 W/kg, contradicting some earlier studies that reported increased enzyme activity. This suggests that under controlled temperature conditions, these specific cell phone signals may not trigger this particular cellular response.

Why This Matters

This study addresses a key question in EMF research: whether cell phone radiation can trigger ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme that plays a role in cell division and has been linked to cancer development. The researchers used exposure levels of 2.5 and 6 W/kg, which exceed typical cell phone SAR limits (2 W/kg in most countries), making this a relevant safety assessment. What's particularly noteworthy is that this study failed to replicate earlier findings of increased ODC activity, highlighting the importance of rigorous temperature control in EMF research. The reality is that inconsistent findings like these underscore why the scientific community continues to debate EMF effects. While this negative result doesn't prove cell phone radiation is harmless, it does suggest that ODC activation may not be a reliable biomarker for RF exposure effects under these specific conditions.

Exposure Details

SAR
2.5, 6 W/kg
Source/Device
50 Hz-modulated DAMPS-835, and 217 Hz modulated GSM-900 (wire-patch antenna) or GSM-1800 (waveguides)
Exposure Duration
1 hour

Exposure Context

This study used 2.5, 6 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: 2.5, 6 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 2 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 50 Hz - 217 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 50 Hz - 217 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Effects of exposure to DAMPS and GSM signals on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity: I. L-929 mouse fibroblasts.

Murine L-929 fibroblasts were exposed at various Specific Absorption rates (SAR) to (DAMPS) or Globa...

ODC activity in live L-929 cells showed no significant alteration after exposure at an SAR of 2.5 W/...

We conclude that under our exposure conditions, DAMPS-835 and GSM signals have no influence on ODC activity in L-929 cells.

Cite This Study
Billaudel B, Taxile M, Ruffie G, Veyret B, Lagroye I. (2009). Effects of exposure to DAMPS and GSM signals on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity: I. L-929 mouse fibroblasts. Int J Radiat Biol. 85(6):510-518, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2009_effects_of_exposure_to_2955,
  author = {Billaudel B and Taxile M and Ruffie G and Veyret B and Lagroye I.},
  title = {Effects of exposure to DAMPS and GSM signals on ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity: I. L-929 mouse fibroblasts.},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1080/09553000902883760},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09553000902883760},
}
DOI: 10.1080/09553000902883760

Cited By (9 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, DAMPS-835 cell phone signals do not affect ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) enzyme activity in mouse cells. A 2009 study exposed L-929 cells to DAMPS signals for one hour at 2.5 and 6 W/kg and found no significant changes in ODC activity, contradicting some earlier research.
GSM-900 and GSM-1800 signals do not increase ornithine decarboxylase activity, an enzyme linked to cell growth and cancer development. Researchers found no significant changes in ODC activity when mouse fibroblast cells were exposed to these specific GSM frequencies under controlled conditions.
Mouse L-929 cells showed no significant changes in ornithine decarboxylase enzyme activity when exposed to 6 W/kg cell phone radiation for one hour. The study used active cooling fans to maintain normal cell temperature (37°C) during exposure to prevent heating effects.
Yes, temperature-controlled studies may show different results than earlier research. This 2009 study used careful temperature regulation and found no effects on ODC enzyme activity, while some previous studies without proper temperature control reported increased enzyme activity from cell phone radiation.
One hour exposure to 50 Hz-modulated DAMPS or 217 Hz-modulated GSM signals does not affect ornithine decarboxylase enzyme activity in mouse cells. The study tested multiple exposure setups including TEM cells and waveguides, finding no significant cellular enzyme changes.