Cell Phone Generated Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field Effects on the Locomotor Behaviors of the Fishes Poecilia reticulata and Danio rerio.
Lee D, Lee J, Lee I. · 2015
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation altered fish swimming behavior in just 3 minutes at SAR levels similar to phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed guppies and zebrafish to cell phone radiation (1800 MHz) for 3 minutes and tracked their swimming behavior. They found that fed fish showed significant changes in their movement patterns and swimming speed when exposed to the RF EMF, while hungry fish showed no changes. The study ruled out temperature effects, confirming the behavioral changes were due to the electromagnetic field itself.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that RF EMF exposure can alter nervous system function in living organisms, even at relatively low exposure levels (SAR of 0.9 W/kg). What makes this research particularly significant is that the behavioral changes occurred only in fed fish, suggesting that metabolic state may influence EMF sensitivity. The exposure duration was brief (just 3 minutes), yet the effects were measurable and statistically significant. While fish studies don't directly translate to human health effects, they serve as important biological indicators since aquatic organisms are often more sensitive to environmental changes than terrestrial animals. The fact that cell phone radiation can disrupt normal locomotor behavior in these creatures adds to the growing body of evidence that RF EMF exposure affects nervous system function across species. This research underscores why we need more comprehensive studies on how everyday EMF exposure might be affecting biological systems, particularly given that our exposure levels and duration far exceed what these fish experienced.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.195, 0.088, 0.121, 0.045 and 0.053 mG
- SAR
- 0.9 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- continuous for 3 minutes
Exposure Context
This study used 0.195, 0.088, 0.121, 0.045 and 0.053 mG for magnetic fields:
- 2.2Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 450x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
This study used 0.9 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.3x 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
The locomotor behavior of small fish was characterized under a cell phone-generated radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF).
The trajectory of movement of 10 pairs of guppy (Poecilia reticulate) and 15 pairs of Zebrafish (Dan...
We demonstrated that a cellular phone-induced temperature elevation was not relevant, and that our m...
The locomotion of the fed fish was affected in terms of changes in population and velocity distributions under the presence of the RF EMF emitted by the cell phone. There was, however, no significant difference in angular distribution.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2015_cell_phone_generated_radio_119,
author = {Lee D and Lee J and Lee I.},
title = {Cell Phone Generated Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Field Effects on the Locomotor Behaviors of the Fishes Poecilia reticulata and Danio rerio.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26073525/},
}