Effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on in vitro models of neurodegenerative disease.
Del Vecchio G, Giuliani A, Fernandez M, Mesirca P, Bersani F, Pinto R, Ardoino L, Lovisolo GA, Giardino L, Calzaà L. · 2009
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at legal limits can amplify brain cell damage from oxidative stress, suggesting cumulative harm over time.
Plain English Summary
Italian scientists exposed brain cells to cell phone radiation for six days. The radiation alone didn't harm cells, but when combined with hydrogen peroxide, it increased damage to certain brain cells. This suggests cell phone radiation might amplify other sources of brain cell damage.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a concerning pattern we see repeatedly in EMF research: radiofrequency radiation may not cause obvious damage on its own, but it can make cells more vulnerable to other stressors. The researchers used a SAR level of 1 W/kg, which is at the legal limit for cell phones in Europe and close to the 1.6 W/kg limit in the US. What makes this particularly relevant is that our brains are constantly exposed to multiple stressors - from environmental toxins to normal metabolic processes that generate oxidative stress. If cell phone radiation amplifies this existing damage, even subtly, the cumulative effect over years of daily use could be significant. The science demonstrates that EMF effects often involve these complex interactions rather than simple cause-and-effect relationships, which is why regulatory agencies that only look for direct thermal effects are missing the bigger picture.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- maximum duration 144 hours
Exposure Context
This study used 1 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.5x 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 is to investigate Effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on in vitro models of neurodegenerative disease.
In this work we tested viability, proliferation, and vulnerability of neural cells, after continuous...
Exposure to RF did not change viability/proliferation rate of the SN56 cholinergic cells or viabilit...
These data suggest that only under particular circumstances exposure to GSM modulated, 900 MHz signal act as a co-stressor for oxidative damage of neural cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2009_effect_of_radiofrequency_electromagnetic_932,
author = {Del Vecchio G and Giuliani A and Fernandez M and Mesirca P and Bersani F and Pinto R and Ardoino L and Lovisolo GA and Giardino L and Calzaà L.},
title = {Effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on in vitro models of neurodegenerative disease.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19479910/},
}