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Exposure to ELF-pulse modulated X band microwaves increases in vitro human astrocytoma cell proliferation.

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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

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Microwave radiation at extremely low power levels accelerated brain cancer cell growth after 24 hours, raising concerns about chronic wireless exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

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:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.0004 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the No Concern rangeFCC limit is 4,000x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 9.60 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 9.60 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHzLogarithmic 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...

Cite This Study
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). Exposure to ELF-pulse modulated X band microwaves increases in vitro human astrocytoma cell proliferation. Histol Histopathol. 24(12):1551-1561, 2009.
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/},
}
PubMed: 19795354

Cited By (17 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Spanish researchers found that 9.6 GHz pulsed microwave radiation significantly increased astrocytoma brain cancer cell proliferation after 24 hours of exposure, even at extremely low power levels. This suggests microwave radiation may accelerate existing brain tumor growth.
A 2009 study exposed human astrocytoma brain cancer cells to pulse modulated X band microwaves at 9.6 GHz. After 24 hours, the cancer cells showed significantly increased proliferation rates compared to unexposed control cells.
Researchers found increased expression of connexin 43 proteins in astrocytoma cells exposed to 9.6 GHz microwave radiation. Heat shock protein (Hsp-70) and anti-death protein (Bcl-2) were present in both exposed and control samples.
The study found that 24 hours of continuous exposure to 9.6 GHz pulsed microwave radiation was needed to produce statistically significant increases in human astrocytoma brain cancer cell proliferation rates compared to unexposed cells.
Yes, the research demonstrated that even extremely low power levels of 9.6 GHz pulsed microwave radiation could significantly increase astrocytoma brain cancer cell proliferation after 24 hours of exposure, suggesting power level may not prevent biological effects.