Whole-body microwave exposure emitted by cellular phones and testicular function of rats.
Dasdag, S, Ketani, MA, Akdag, Z, Ersay, AR, Sar,i I, Demirtas ,OC, Celik, MS · 1999
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at 0.141 W/kg caused structural damage to rat testes, suggesting active phone use may impact male reproductive health.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed male rats to cell phone radiation for 2 hours daily over one month and examined their reproductive organs. They found that phones actively making calls (not just on standby) caused structural changes in the testes, specifically shrinking the seminiferous tubules where sperm are produced. The study also recorded higher body temperatures in rats exposed to active phone radiation.
Why This Matters
This 1999 study provides early evidence that cell phone radiation can affect male reproductive tissue, particularly when phones are actively transmitting during calls. The SAR level of 0.141 W/kg is well below current safety limits but still produced measurable structural changes in testicular tissue. What makes this research significant is that it demonstrates biological effects at relatively low exposure levels and distinguishes between standby and active phone use - showing that transmission power matters. The temperature increase in exposed animals suggests the mechanism may involve both thermal and non-thermal effects. This study adds to a growing body of research linking EMF exposure to male fertility concerns, an issue that has only become more relevant as phone use has dramatically increased since 1999.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.141 W/kg
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for a duration of 1 month
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
This study investigated whether there are adverse effects due to microwave exposure emitted by cellular phones in male rats.
Eighteen Wistar Albino rats were separated into three groups, a sham group and two experimental grou...
The decrease of epididymal sperm counts in the speech groups were not found to be significant (P > 0...
Show BibTeX
@article{dasdag_1999_wholebody_microwave_exposure_emitted_922,
author = {Dasdag and S and Ketani and MA and Akdag and Z and Ersay and AR and Sar andi I and Demirtas andOC and Celik and MS},
title = {Whole-body microwave exposure emitted by cellular phones and testicular function of rats.},
year = {1999},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10422825/},
}