Mobile phone signal exposure triggers a hormesis-like effect in Atm+/+ and Atm-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts.
Sun C, Wei X, Fei Y, Su L, Zhao X, Chen G, Xu Z. · 2016
View Original AbstractRF-EMF exposure produced a hormesis-like effect in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, reducing DNA damage below background levels after prolonged exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers compared the effects of 1,800 MHz RF-EMF exposure on genomic DNA in mouse embryonic fibroblasts with proficient (Atm+/+) or deficient (Atm−/−) ATM. In Atm+/+ cells, exposure for 1 hour at an average special absorption rate of 4.0 W/kg induced significant DNA single-strand breaks and activated the SSB repair mechanism. That repair effect reduced DNA damage to less than background levels after 36 hours of exposure. In Atm−/− cells, the same RF-EMF exposure for 12 hours induced both SSBs and double-strand breaks and activated the two repair processes, also reducing damage below the control level after prolonged exposure. The researchers described this as the first reported hormesis-like effect of an RF-EMF.
Why This Matters
The study examined mouse embryonic fibroblasts with proficient (Atm+/+) or deficient (Atm−/−) ATM to compare how each responded to RF-EMF exposure on genomic DNA. The pattern observed, where initial damage is followed by repair that brings levels below baseline, is what the authors compared to hormesis, a phenomenon associated with a toxic substance at a low dose. In ATM-deficient cells, exposure for 12 hours triggered both single-strand and double-strand breaks and activated the two repair processes, which also reduced damage below the control level after prolonged exposure.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 4 W/kg
- Exposure Duration
- 1 hour
Exposure Context
This study used 4 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 10x 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
To address the debate on whether RF-EMFs are genotoxic, we compared the effects of 1,800 MHz RF-EMF exposure on genomic DNA in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with proficient (Atm+/+) or deficient (Atm−/−) ATM.
In Atm+/+ MEFs, RF-EMF exposure for 1 h at an average special absorption rate of 4.0 W/kg induced si...
This effect reduced the DNA damage to less than that of the background level after 36 hours of expos...
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report a hormesis-like effect of an RF-EMF.
Show BibTeX
@article{c_2016_mobile_phone_signal_exposure_772,
author = {Sun C and Wei X and Fei Y and Su L and Zhao X and Chen G and Xu Z.},
title = {Mobile phone signal exposure triggers a hormesis-like effect in Atm+/+ and Atm-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/srep37423},
}