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 at legal exposure levels caused measurable skin tissue damage in rats, but melatonin supplementation prevented most changes.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation at 900 MHz for 30 minutes daily over 10 days and found it caused visible changes to skin tissue, including thickening, cell damage, and altered collagen structure. When rats were given melatonin (a natural hormone) before radiation exposure, most of these skin changes were prevented. This suggests that cell phone radiation can affect skin health, but protective measures may be possible.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects biological tissues beyond just heating effects. The 900 MHz frequency tested matches older GSM cell phone technology, and the SAR level of 2 W/kg is within current safety limits but represents significant exposure during a phone call held against the skin. What makes this research particularly noteworthy is the protective effect of melatonin, suggesting the damage may be mediated through oxidative stress pathways. While we can't directly extrapolate rat skin findings to humans, the study demonstrates that RF radiation at legally permissible levels causes measurable biological changes. The reality is that your skin is your largest organ and often the closest point of contact with wireless devices, making these findings relevant to daily device use patterns.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 2 W/kg
- Power Density
- 1 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 10 days (30 min/day)
Exposure Context
This study used 1 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 100Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 1.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 5x 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 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...
Histopathologic changes in skin were analyzed. In the IR group, increased thickness of stratum corne...
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_560,
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},
doi = {10.1191/0748233704th207oa},
url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1191/0748233704th207oa},
}