Microwaves from GSM Mobile Telephones Affect 53BP1 and gamma-H2AX Foci in Human Lymphocytes from Hypersensitive and Healthy Persons.
Markova E, Hillert L, Malmgren L, Persson BR, Belyaev IY · 2005
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation triggers DNA damage markers in human immune cells, similar to heat shock stress responses.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human immune cells (lymphocytes) to microwave radiation from GSM mobile phones and found that the radiation caused DNA damage markers similar to heat shock stress. The study compared cells from both healthy people and those who report electromagnetic sensitivity, finding similar responses in both groups. This suggests that mobile phone radiation can trigger cellular stress responses that indicate potential DNA damage, regardless of whether someone feels sensitive to electromagnetic fields.
Why This Matters
This research provides compelling evidence that mobile phone radiation affects human cells at the molecular level, specifically triggering markers associated with DNA double-strand breaks. What makes this study particularly significant is that it demonstrates these effects occur regardless of whether people report electromagnetic sensitivity, suggesting the biological response is universal rather than psychosomatic. The researchers found that the cellular response to mobile phone microwaves resembled heat shock, a well-established stress response that cells use to protect themselves from damage. The fact that different carrier frequencies produced different effects also suggests these aren't random findings but frequency-specific biological responses. For anyone using mobile phones regularly, this study adds to the growing body of evidence that these devices can trigger cellular stress responses even when we don't feel any immediate effects.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
In the present study, we investigated effects of MWs of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) at different carrier frequencies on human lymphocytes from healthy persons and from persons reporting hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields (EMFs).
We measured the changes in chromatin conformation, which are indicative of stress response and genot...
We found that MWs from GSM mobile telephones affect chromatin conformation and 53BP1/gamma-H2AX foci...
For the first time, we report here that effects of MWs from mobile telephones on human lymphocytes are dependent on carrier frequency. On average, the same response was observed in lymphocytes from hypersensitive and healthy subjects.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2005_microwaves_from_gsm_mobile_2398,
author = {Markova E and Hillert L and Malmgren L and Persson BR and Belyaev IY},
title = {Microwaves from GSM Mobile Telephones Affect 53BP1 and gamma-H2AX Foci in Human Lymphocytes from Hypersensitive and Healthy Persons.},
year = {2005},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16140623/},
}