Exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation impairs neurite outgrowth of embryonic neural stem cells
Chen C, Ma Q, Liu C, Deng P, Zhu G, Zhang L, He M, Lu Y, Duan W, Pei L, Li M, Yu Z, Zhou Z · 2014
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation impaired brain cell development at exposure levels similar to phone calls, suggesting potential risks during pregnancy.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed embryonic brain stem cells to cell phone frequency radiation (1800 MHz) at levels similar to what phones emit during calls. They found that after three days of exposure at the highest level tested, the developing brain cells couldn't properly grow their connecting branches (neurites), which are essential for forming neural networks. This suggests that radiofrequency radiation could potentially interfere with normal brain development in developing embryos.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a concerning effect on the most fundamental building blocks of brain development. What makes this research particularly significant is that it used SAR levels of 1-4 W/kg, which overlap with the exposure levels from cell phones during calls (typically 0.5-2 W/kg depending on the device and conditions). The fact that embryonic neural stem cells showed impaired neurite outgrowth at 4 W/kg after just three days of exposure raises important questions about potential developmental effects during pregnancy. The researchers found that key genes responsible for proper neural development were disrupted, suggesting a biological mechanism behind the observed effects. While this is laboratory research on isolated cells rather than whole organisms, it adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that developing nervous systems may be particularly vulnerable to RF-EMF exposure. The reality is that pregnant women today carry phones close to their bodies throughout pregnancy, potentially exposing developing brains to similar radiation levels.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1, 2, and 4 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz RF-EMF
- Exposure Duration
- 3 days
Exposure Context
This study used 1, 2, and 4 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
Embryonic neural stem cells (eNSCs) play a critical role in brain development. Thus, detecting the effects of RF-EMF on eNSCs is important for exploring the effects of RF-EMF on brain development.
Here, we exposed eNSCs to 1800 MHz RF-EMF at specific absorption rate (SAR) values of 1, 2, and 4 W...
We found that 1800 MHz RF-EMF exposure did not influence eNSC apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle o...
These results together suggested that 1800 MHz RF-EMF exposure impairs neurite outgrowth of eNSCs. More attention should be given to the potential adverse effects of RF-EMF exposure on brain development
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2014_exposure_to_1800_mhz_80,
author = {Chen C and Ma Q and Liu C and Deng P and Zhu G and Zhang L and He M and Lu Y and Duan W and Pei L and Li M and Yu Z and Zhou Z},
title = {Exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation impairs neurite outgrowth of embryonic neural stem cells},
year = {2014},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/srep05103},
}