Effect of an acute 900MHz GSM exposure on glia in the rat brain: A time-dependent study.
Brillaud E, Piotrowski A, de Seze R. · 2007
View Original AbstractJust 15 minutes of cell phone radiation triggered measurable brain stress responses in rats that lasted for days.
Plain English Summary
French researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (900MHz GSM signal) for just 15 minutes and then examined their brains over the following 10 days. They found significant increases in glial cell activity (brain cells that support and protect neurons) in multiple brain regions, peaking 2-3 days after exposure. This glial response indicates the brain was reacting to the radiation exposure as if responding to injury or stress.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that even brief exposure to cell phone radiation can trigger a measurable stress response in brain tissue. The 6 W/kg exposure level used here is higher than typical phone use (which ranges from 0.5-2 W/kg), but the fact that just 15 minutes caused detectable changes lasting several days is significant. Glial cells are the brain's first responders to injury and inflammation, so their activation suggests the radiation was perceived as a threat by brain tissue. What makes this research particularly valuable is its time-course analysis, showing the brain's response evolved over days rather than immediately. While the researchers noted the effects were temporary, the broader question remains: what happens with repeated daily exposures over years of phone use? This study adds to a growing body of evidence that our brains are not as immune to wireless radiation as regulatory agencies have assumed.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 6 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 15 minutes
Exposure Context
This study used 6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 15x 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 aim of this study is to investigate Effect of an acute 900MHz GSM exposure on glia in the rat brain: A time-dependent study.
In this work we measured GFAP expression, to evaluate glial evolution 2, 3, 6 and 10 days after a si...
A statistically significant increase of GFAP stained surface area was observed 2 days after exposure...
We conclude to a temporary effect, probably due to a hypertrophy of glial cells, with a temporal and a spatial modulation of the effect. Whether this effect could be harmful remains to be studied.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2007_effect_of_an_acute_878,
author = {Brillaud E and Piotrowski A and de Seze R.},
title = {Effect of an acute 900MHz GSM exposure on glia in the rat brain: A time-dependent study.},
year = {2007},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17624651/},
}