Immune responses of a wall lizard to whole-body exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.
Mina D, Sagonas K, Fragopoulou AF, Pafilis P, Skouroliakou A, Margaritis LH, Tsitsilonis OE, Valakos ED. · 2016
View Original AbstractChronic exposure to DECT phone frequencies suppressed immune responses by 45% in lizards, raising concerns about everyday wireless device exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed wall lizards to cordless phone radiation 24 hours daily for 8 weeks. The lizards showed 45% weaker immune responses compared to unexposed animals, suggesting that constant wireless radiation exposure may suppress the immune system in living creatures.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how radiofrequency radiation affects immune function. The 3.2 V/m exposure level used here is comparable to what you might experience living near a cell tower or using cordless phones regularly in your home. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates measurable immune suppression from continuous exposure to frequencies we encounter daily. The 45% reduction in inflammatory responses is substantial and concerning, especially when you consider that inflammation is a critical first-line defense against infections and disease. While this study used lizards rather than humans, the basic immune mechanisms are similar across vertebrate species. The reality is that our immune systems evolved without constant radiofrequency exposure, and this research suggests there may be biological consequences we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 3.2 V/m
- Source/Device
- 1880-1900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 24 h/day for 8 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 3.2 V/m for electric fields:
- 10.7x 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
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of radiofrequency EMR emitted by a widely used wireless communication device, namely the Digital Enhanced Communication Telephony (DECT) base, on the immune responses of the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii).
Adult male lizards were exposed 24 h/day for 8 weeks to 1880-1900 MHz DECT base radiation at average...
Our results revealed a noticeable suppression (approximately 45%) of inflammatory responses in EMR-e...
Daily radiofrequency EMR exposure seems to affect, at least partially, the immunocompetence of the Aegean wall lizard.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2016_immune_responses_of_a_1205,
author = {Mina D and Sagonas K and Fragopoulou AF and Pafilis P and Skouroliakou A and Margaritis LH and Tsitsilonis OE and Valakos ED.},
title = {Immune responses of a wall lizard to whole-body exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853383/},
}