Exposure to ELF-pulse modulated X band microwaves increases in vitro human astrocytoma cell proliferation.
Pérez-Castejón C, Pérez-Bruzón RN, Llorente M, Pes N, Lacasa C, Figols T, Lahoz M, Maestú C, Vera-Gil A, Del Moral A, Azanza MJ · 2009
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at extremely low power levels accelerated brain cancer cell growth after 24 hours, raising concerns about chronic wireless exposure.
Plain English Summary
Spanish researchers exposed human brain cancer cells (astrocytoma) to pulsed microwave radiation at 9.6 GHz for various time periods up to 24 hours. They found that after 24 hours of exposure, the cancer cells showed significantly increased proliferation (growth and division) compared to unexposed cells, even at extremely low power levels. This suggests that microwave radiation may accelerate the growth of existing brain tumors.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a troubling biological response to microwave radiation that operates at frequencies used in radar systems and some wireless communications. The researchers used extremely low power levels - about 1,000 times lower than typical cell phone exposures - yet still observed accelerated growth in brain cancer cells after 24 hours of exposure. What makes this particularly concerning is that the effect occurred in astrocytoma cells, which form one of the most common types of brain tumors. The science demonstrates that even very weak microwave signals can stimulate cellular processes that promote tumor growth. While this was conducted in laboratory cell cultures rather than living tissue, it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chronic EMF exposure may influence cancer progression. The reality is that we're all exposed to similar microwave frequencies daily through various wireless technologies, and this research indicates such exposures aren't as biologically inert as regulatory agencies assume.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0004 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 1.25-1.64 V/m
- Source/Device
- 9.6 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 15, 30, 60 min and 24 h
Exposure Context
This study used 1.25-1.64 V/m for electric fields:
- 4.2x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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 Details
Common concern about the biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) is increasing with the expansion of X-band microwaves (MW). The purpose of our work was to determine whether exposure to MW pulses in this range can induce toxic effects on human astrocytoma cells.
Cultured astrocytoma cells (Clonetics line 1321N1) were submitted to 9.6 GHz carrier, 90% amplitude ...
Our results showed that cytoskeleton proteins, cell morphology and viability were not modified. Stat...
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2009_exposure_to_elfpulse_modulated_1268,
author = {Pérez-Castejón C and Pérez-Bruzón RN and Llorente M and Pes N and Lacasa C and Figols T and Lahoz M and Maestú C and Vera-Gil A and Del Moral A and Azanza MJ},
title = {Exposure to ELF-pulse modulated X band microwaves increases in vitro human astrocytoma cell proliferation.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19795354/},
}