915 MHz microwaves and 50 Hz magnetic field affect chromatin conformation and 53BP1 foci in human lymphocytes from hypersensitive and healthy persons
Belyaev, I.Y., Hillert, L., Protopopova, M., Tamm, C., Malmgren, L.O., Persson, B.R., Selivanova, G. and Harms-Ringdahl, M. · 2005
View Original AbstractCell phone and power line EMFs trigger stress responses in human immune cells at exposure levels below typical daily use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human immune cells to cell phone radiation (915 MHz) and power line magnetic fields. Both exposures caused cellular stress responses similar to heat shock, affecting how DNA is packaged inside cells. This occurred equally in healthy people and those reporting electromagnetic sensitivity.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that EMF exposures at levels we encounter daily can trigger stress responses in human immune cells. The 915 MHz exposure used here (SAR 0.037 W/kg) is actually lower than typical cell phone usage, which ranges from 0.5 to 2 W/kg when held against your head. What makes this study particularly significant is that it detected cellular stress responses at these relatively low exposure levels, and importantly, found no difference between people who report electromagnetic sensitivity and those who don't. The chromatin condensation observed mirrors what happens during heat shock, suggesting EMF exposure may be triggering fundamental cellular stress pathways. While the study didn't find DNA damage markers, the stress response itself indicates your immune cells are reacting to EMF exposure in measurable ways.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.037 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 915 MHz
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate 915 MHz microwaves and 50 Hz magnetic field affect chromatin conformation and 53BP1 foci in human lymphocytes from hypersensitive and healthy persons
We used exposure to microwaves from a global system for mobile communication (GSM) mobile phone (915...
The hypersensitive and healthy donors were matched by gender and age and the data were analyzed blin...
In conclusion, 50 Hz magnetic field and 915 MHz microwaves under specified conditions of exposure induced comparable responses in lymphocytes from healthy and hypersensitive donors that were similar but not identical to stress response induced by heat shock.
Show BibTeX
@article{belyaev_2005_915_mhz_microwaves_and_1057,
author = {Belyaev and I.Y. and Hillert and L. and Protopopova and M. and Tamm and C. and Malmgren and L.O. and Persson and B.R. and Selivanova and G. and Harms-Ringdahl and M.},
title = {915 MHz microwaves and 50 Hz magnetic field affect chromatin conformation and 53BP1 foci in human lymphocytes from hypersensitive and healthy persons},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20103},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20103?billing_country=US},
}