High frequency (900 MHz) low amplitude (5 V m-1) electromagnetic field: a genuine environmental stimulus that affects transcription, translation, calcium and energy charge in tomato.
Roux D, Vian A, Girard S, Bonnet P, Paladian F, Davies E, Ledoigt G. · 2008
View Original AbstractEven brief, low-level cell phone frequency radiation triggered immediate stress responses in plants, suggesting RF fields act as biological stressors.
Plain English Summary
French researchers exposed tomato plants to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields (the same frequency used by cell phones) at low power levels for just 10 minutes. The plants immediately activated stress response genes and began producing proteins typically associated with injury or environmental damage. The study demonstrates that even brief, low-level radiofrequency exposure can trigger biological stress responses in living organisms.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that radiofrequency radiation acts as a biological stressor even at exposure levels well below current safety guidelines. The 5 V/m electric field used here is actually lower than what you might encounter near a cell tower or WiFi router, yet it triggered immediate stress responses in plant cells within minutes. What makes this research particularly significant is that plants responded to RF exposure the same way they respond to physical wounds or other environmental threats. The calcium-dependent nature of the response suggests RF fields may interfere with fundamental cellular communication pathways that exist across all living organisms, including humans. While this study examined plants rather than human cells, the basic cellular mechanisms involved are remarkably similar across species, making these findings relevant to understanding how our own bodies might respond to the radiofrequency fields we encounter daily.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 5 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 10 min
Exposure Context
This study used 5 V/m for electric fields:
- 16.7x 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.
Study Details
Using an especially-designed facility, the Mode Stirred Reverberation Chamber, we exposed tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. VFN8) to low level (900 MHz, 5 V m(-1)) electromagnetic fields for a short period (10 min) and measured changes in abundance of three specific mRNA soon after exposure.
Within minutes of electromagnetic stimulation, stress-related mRNA (calmodulin, calcium-dependent pr...
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2008_high_frequency_900_mhz_1300,
author = {Roux D and Vian A and Girard S and Bonnet P and Paladian F and Davies E and Ledoigt G.},
title = {High frequency (900 MHz) low amplitude (5 V m-1) electromagnetic field: a genuine environmental stimulus that affects transcription, translation, calcium and energy charge in tomato. },
year = {2008},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18026987/},
}