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 AbstractHuman skin cells showed DNA damage from cell phone radiation at levels 40 times lower than current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
German researchers exposed human cells to cell phone radiation (UMTS, 1,950 MHz) at levels well below safety limits to test for DNA damage. They found that skin cells (fibroblasts) showed significant genetic damage at extremely low exposure levels - as little as 0.05 W/kg, which is 40 times lower than the current safety limit. However, immune cells (lymphocytes) showed no damage, suggesting different cell types respond differently to radiofrequency radiation.
Why This Matters
This study delivers a critical finding that challenges the adequacy of current safety standards. The researchers documented DNA damage in human cells at SAR levels of just 0.05 W/kg - that's 2.5% of the current FCC limit of 2 W/kg for cell phones held against your head. What makes this particularly significant is that the damage occurred in fibroblasts, the cells that make up connective tissue throughout your body, including skin. The fact that lymphocytes showed no effects while fibroblasts did reinforces what we're learning from the broader research: different tissues have different vulnerabilities to RF radiation. This isn't about panic - it's about recognizing that our safety standards were set decades ago based on heating effects only, not the biological effects we're now documenting at much lower power levels.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1,2 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1,950 MHz UMTS
- Exposure Duration
- 24h
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To investigate radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (UMTS, 1,950 MHz) induce genotoxic effects in vitro in human fibroblasts but not in lymphocytes
Human cultured fibroblasts of three different donors and three different short-term human lymphocyte...
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_20,
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},
doi = {10.1007/s00420-008-0305-5},
url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00420-008-0305-5},
}