The effect of melatonin on body mass and behaviour of rats during an exposure to microwave radiation from mobile phone.
Sokolovic D, Djordjevic B, Kocic G, Babovic P, Ristic G, Stanojkovic Z, Sokolovic DM, Veljkovic A, Jankovic A, Radovanovic Z. · 2012
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation caused weight loss and anxiety in rats at everyday exposure levels, but melatonin prevented these effects.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to mobile phone radiation for 4 hours daily over 60 days and found the animals lost significant body weight and developed anxiety-like behaviors including agitation and irritability. When rats were given melatonin (a natural hormone) along with the radiation exposure, these negative effects were largely prevented, suggesting melatonin may offer protective benefits against microwave radiation damage.
Why This Matters
This study demonstrates that chronic mobile phone radiation exposure produces measurable physical and behavioral changes in laboratory animals - effects that mirror concerns about anxiety and stress reported by people with electromagnetic sensitivity. The SAR levels used (0.043-0.135 W/kg) fall within the range of typical mobile phone emissions, making these findings directly relevant to everyday device use. What makes this research particularly compelling is the protective effect of melatonin, which suggests the radiation damage involves oxidative stress pathways that this natural antioxidant can counter. The science demonstrates that EMF exposure isn't just about heating tissue - it's triggering biological stress responses that affect weight regulation and neurological function.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.00468 , 0.00869 mG
- SAR
- 0.043 , 0.135 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 9.88, 18.35 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz Mobile Phone
- Exposure Duration
- 4 h/day on 60 days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.00468 , 0.00869 mG for magnetic fields:
- 234x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 46.8x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
This study used 9.88, 18.35 V/m for electric fields:
- 32.9x 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
The aim of this research was to determine body mass and behaviour changes in rats after a chronic microwave exposure, as well as to determine the effects of melatonin on body mass and behaviour in irradiated rats.
Wistar rats were divided into the four experimental groups: I group (control) - rats treated with 0,...
A significant body mass reduction was noted in animals exposed to MW radiation when compared to cont...
Microwave radiation causes body mass decrease and anxiety related behaviour in rats, however melatonin causes a reverse of those effects on both body weight and behaviour of irradiated animals
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2012_the_effect_of_melatonin_189,
author = {Sokolovic D and Djordjevic B and Kocic G and Babovic P and Ristic G and Stanojkovic Z and Sokolovic DM and Veljkovic A and Jankovic A and Radovanovic Z. },
title = {The effect of melatonin on body mass and behaviour of rats during an exposure to microwave radiation from mobile phone.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/med/22616582},
}