Prevention of mobile phone induced skin tissue changes by melatonin in rat: an experimental study.
Ozguner F, Aydin G, Mollaoglu H, Gokalp O, Koyu A, Cesur G · 2004
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation caused visible skin damage in rats after just 10 days of brief daily exposure, but melatonin prevented most changes.
Plain English Summary
Turkish researchers exposed rats to 900 MHz cell phone radiation for 30 minutes daily over 10 days and found it caused visible damage to skin tissue, including thickened outer layers, cell death, and disrupted collagen structure. When rats were given melatonin before radiation exposure, most of these skin changes were prevented. This suggests that cell phone radiation can affect skin health even at relatively short exposure times, but protective compounds like melatonin might help reduce the damage.
Why This Matters
This study provides important evidence that RF radiation from mobile phones can cause measurable tissue damage even with relatively brief exposures. The researchers documented multiple types of skin damage after just 30 minutes of daily exposure over 10 days, including cellular changes that mirror what we see in damaged or aging skin. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates both the biological impact of RF radiation and a potential protective intervention. The fact that melatonin prevented most of the observed damage suggests these effects are likely mediated by oxidative stress, a mechanism that appears repeatedly across EMF research. While this was an animal study, the skin changes observed are concerning given that our phones spend considerable time against our skin during calls and when carried in pockets.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 10 days (30 min/day)
Study Details
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects the 900 MHz electromagnetic irradiation emitted by these devices on the induction of histopathologic changes in skin and the effect of melatonin (Mel) on any of these changes.
Thirty male Wistar-Albino rats were used in the study. The experimental groups were composed of: a n...
In the IR group, increased thickness of stratum corneum, atrophy of epidermis, papillamatosis, basal...
In conclusion, exposure to 900 MHz radiation emitted by mobile phones caused mild skin changes. Furthermore, melatonin treatment can reduce these changes and may have a beneficial effect to prevent 900 MHz mobile phone-induced rat skin changes.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2004_prevention_of_mobile_phone_2494,
author = {Ozguner F and Aydin G and Mollaoglu H and Gokalp O and Koyu A and Cesur G},
title = {Prevention of mobile phone induced skin tissue changes by melatonin in rat: an experimental study.},
year = {2004},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15941010/},
}