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Effects of GSM modulated radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on permeability of blood–brain barrier in male & female rats

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Sırav B, Seyhan N · 2016

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Cell phone radiation at levels below safety limits increased blood-brain barrier permeability in rats after just 20 minutes of exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Turkish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz for 20 minutes. Both frequencies increased blood-brain barrier permeability in male rats, while only 900 MHz affected females. This protective brain barrier normally prevents harmful substances from entering the brain.

Why This Matters

This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing that cell phone radiation can compromise the blood-brain barrier, even at non-thermal exposure levels. The blood-brain barrier serves as your brain's security system, and when it becomes more permeable, potentially harmful substances can more easily reach brain tissue. What makes this research particularly significant is that the SAR levels used (0.02 W/kg) are well below current regulatory limits, yet still produced measurable biological effects. The gender differences observed suggest that EMF sensitivity may vary between individuals, which could explain why some people report symptoms while others don't. While more research is needed to understand the long-term implications, this study reinforces that our current safety standards may not adequately protect against all biological effects of wireless radiation.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.02 W/kg
Electric Field
4.96 and 4.7 V/m
Source/Device
900 MHz and 1800 MHz
Exposure Duration
20 min

Exposure Context

This study used 4.96 and 4.7 V/m for electric fields:

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 ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.02 W/kgExtreme Concern0.1 W/kgFCC Limit1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Severe Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 80x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

This study was designed to investigate the possible effects of pulse modulated 900 MHz and 1800 MHz radio-frequency radiation on the permeability of blood–brain barrier of rats.

Study was performed with 6 groups of young adult male and female wistar albino rats. The permeabilit...

In both male radio-frequency radiation exposed groups, the permeability of blood–brain barrier found...

The results of this study suggest that mobile phone radation could lead to increase the permeability of blood-brain barrier under non-thermal exposure levels. More studies are needed to demonstrate the mechanisms of that breakdown.

Cite This Study
Sırav B, Seyhan N (2016). Effects of GSM modulated radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on permeability of blood–brain barrier in male & female rats J Chem Neuroanat. 75(Pt B):123-127, 2016.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_2016_effects_of_gsm_modulated_186,
  author = {Sırav B and Seyhan N},
  title = {Effects of GSM modulated radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation on permeability of blood–brain barrier in male & female rats},
  year = {2016},
  
  url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891061815001064},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Turkish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation at 900 MHz and 1800 MHz for 20 minutes. Both frequencies increased blood-brain barrier permeability in male rats, while only 900 MHz affected females. This protective brain barrier normally prevents harmful substances from entering the brain.