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Effects of prenatal exposure to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field on the dentate gyrus of rats: a stereological and histopathological study.

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Odaci E, Bas O, Kaplan S · 2008

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Prenatal exposure to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field was associated with a decrease in granule cells in the dentate gyrus of rat offspring.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers investigated the effects of prenatal EMF exposure on the number of granule cells in the dentate gyrus of 4-week-old rats. Pregnant rats in the exposed group were subjected to a 900 MHz EMF for 60 min/day between the first and last days of gestation. The results showed that prenatal EMF exposure caused a decrease in the number of granule cells in the dentate gyrus (P < 0.01).

Why This Matters

The experiment used a control group and an EMF exposed group, with three pregnant rats in each group. The offspring analyzed included six from the exposed group and five from the control group, all sacrificed at 4 weeks old. Granule cell counts were obtained using the optical fractionator technique. The researchers suggested that the cell loss might be caused by an inhibition of granule cell neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus.

Exposure Details

SAR
2 W/kg
Power Density
1 mW/cm²
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
60 min/day

Exposure Context

This study used 1 mW/cm² for radio frequency:

This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 1 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 1 times the FCC limit
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In this study, the effects of prenatal exposure to EMF on the number of granule cells in the dentate gyrus of 4-week-old rats were investigated.

This experiment used a control (Cont) group and an EMF exposed (EMF) group (three pregnant rats each...

The results showed that prenatal EMF exposure caused a decrease in the number of granule cells in th...

Cite This Study
Odaci E, Bas O, Kaplan S (2008). Effects of prenatal exposure to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field on the dentate gyrus of rats: a stereological and histopathological study. Brain Res. 1238:224-229, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2008_effects_of_prenatal_exposure_164,
  author = {Odaci E and Bas O and Kaplan S},
  title = {Effects of prenatal exposure to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field on the dentate gyrus of rats: a stereological and histopathological study.},
  year = {2008},
  
  url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006899308019458},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Pregnant rats were exposed to an EMF of up to 900 MHz for 60 min/day throughout gestation.
Researchers examined the dentate gyrus, specifically the number of granule cells within it.
Prenatal EMF exposure caused a decrease in the number of granule cells in the dentate gyrus (P < 0.01).
The researchers suggested that cell loss might be caused by an inhibition of granule cell neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus.
The numbers of granule cells in the dentate gyrus were analyzed using the optical fractionator technique.