Effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure on blood-brain barrier permeability in male and female rats
Sirav B, Seyhan N · 2011
View Original AbstractLow-level cell phone radiation compromised the blood-brain barrier in male rats at exposure levels comparable to typical phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (0.9 GHz) for 20 minutes to test brain protection. The radiation made the blood-brain barrier leaky in male rats only, allowing blood proteins into brain tissue. This suggests phone radiation may compromise brain defenses differently between sexes.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to concerns about radiofrequency radiation's effects on brain health, particularly the finding that exposure levels well below international safety limits can compromise the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier serves as your brain's security system, and when it becomes permeable, it can allow harmful substances to enter brain tissue. What makes this research particularly significant is the clear sex-based difference in response - male rats showed barrier disruption while females didn't, suggesting biological vulnerability may vary between sexes. The exposure level used (SAR of 4.26 mW/kg) is comparable to what you might experience during a phone call, making these findings directly relevant to everyday EMF exposure. While we need more research to understand the long-term implications and whether similar effects occur in humans, this study reinforces the importance of minimizing unnecessary radiofrequency exposure, especially given that your brain's protective barriers may be more vulnerable than current safety standards assume.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.00426 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 4.71 V/m
- Source/Device
- 0.9 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 20 min
Exposure Context
This study used 4.71 V/m for electric fields:
- 15.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of RFR on the permeability of BBB in male and female Wistar albino rats.
Right brain, left brain, cerebellum, and total brain were analyzed separately in the study. Rats wer...
In female rats, no albumin extravasation was found in in the brain after RFR exposure. A significant...
The possible risk of RFR exposure in humans is a major concern for the society. Thus, this topic should be investigated more thoroughly in the future.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2011_effects_of_radiofrequency_radiation_184,
author = {Sirav B and Seyhan N},
title = {Effects of radiofrequency radiation exposure on blood-brain barrier permeability in male and female rats},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.3109/15368378.2011.600167},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2011.600167},
}