The Effects of Pulsed 860 MHz Radiofrequency Radiation on the Promotion of Neurogenic Tumors in Rats.
Zook BC,Simmens SJ. · 2006
View Original AbstractThis study found no evidence that 860 MHz radiofrequency radiation promoted brain tumor development in rats, though exposure levels weren't specified.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed 1,080 rats to pulsed 860 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to cell phone signals) for 6 hours daily to see if it would accelerate tumor development in animals already given a cancer-causing chemical. After examining over 1,200 brain and nervous system tumors, they found no evidence that RF exposure affected tumor incidence, growth rate, severity, or how quickly tumors appeared. This suggests that this particular RF signal did not act as a tumor promoter in this animal model.
Why This Matters
This study represents an important piece of the EMF-cancer puzzle, specifically addressing whether radiofrequency radiation acts as a tumor promoter rather than initiator. The researchers used a well-established two-stage cancer model, first exposing pregnant rats to a known carcinogen (ENU), then testing whether RF exposure would accelerate tumor development in their offspring. The 860 MHz frequency falls within the range used by cellular communications, making these findings relevant to everyday exposures. However, the study has significant limitations. The exposure levels aren't specified, making it impossible to compare with typical cell phone use. The exposure pattern (6 hours daily, 5 days weekly) may not reflect real-world usage patterns where people carry phones throughout the day. While these negative results are reassuring, they represent just one frequency, one exposure pattern, and one biological endpoint. The broader body of research on RF and cancer remains mixed, with some studies showing increased tumor risks and others finding no effects.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The present study was designed to investigate further any promoting effect of the pulsed RF signal on latency and other characteristics of neurogenic tumors in the progeny of pregnant rats treated with 6.25 or 10 mg/kg ENU
The resulting 1080 offspring were randomized equally by number, sex and ENU dose into pulsed RF, sha...
Postmortem examinations on the 1080 rats revealed 38 spinal cord tumors, 191 spinal nerve tumors, 23...
Show BibTeX
@article{bc_2006_the_effects_of_pulsed_2717,
author = {Zook BC andSimmens SJ.},
title = {The Effects of Pulsed 860 MHz Radiofrequency Radiation on the Promotion of Neurogenic Tumors in Rats.},
year = {2006},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16669743/},
}