Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (UMTS, 1,950 MHz) induce genotoxic effects in vitro in human fibroblasts but not in lymphocytes.
Schwarz C, Kratochvil E, Pilger A, Kuster N, Adlkofer F, Rüdiger HW · 2008
View Original Abstract3G phone radiation caused DNA damage in human cells at levels 20-40 times below current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human cells to 3G mobile phone radiation (UMTS at 1,950 MHz) at levels well below safety limits to test for DNA damage. They found that certain cells called fibroblasts showed significant genetic damage after exposure, while immune cells called lymphocytes were unaffected. This suggests that 3G radiation can cause DNA damage in some human cell types even at supposedly safe exposure levels.
Why This Matters
This research highlights a critical gap in how we evaluate EMF safety. The study used exposure levels of 0.05 and 0.1 W/kg - both far below the 2 W/kg safety limit set by regulators. Yet even at these low levels, researchers documented measurable DNA damage in human fibroblasts within 8-24 hours. What makes this particularly significant is that different cell types responded differently to the same exposure, with fibroblasts showing damage while lymphocytes remained unaffected. This challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to EMF safety standards and suggests that some tissues may be more vulnerable than others. The reality is that your phone operates at these same frequencies and power levels during normal use, making this laboratory finding directly relevant to everyday exposure.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.05, 0.1 W/kg
- Source/Device
- UMTS, 1,950 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 24 h, 8h
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) was recently introduced as the third generation mobile communication standard in Europe. This was done without any information on biological effects and genotoxic properties of these particular high-frequency electromagnetic fields. This is discomforting, because genotoxic effects of the second generation standard Global System for Mobile Communication have been reported after exposure of human cells in vitro.
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UMTS exposure increased the CTF and induced centromere-negative micronuclei (MN) in human cultured f...
UMTS exposure may cause genetic alterations in some but not in all human cells in vitro.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2008_radiofrequency_electromagnetic_fields_umts_1314,
author = {Schwarz C and Kratochvil E and Pilger A and Kuster N and Adlkofer F and Rüdiger HW},
title = {Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (UMTS, 1,950 MHz) induce genotoxic effects in vitro in human fibroblasts but not in lymphocytes. },
year = {2008},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18278508/},
}