Naltrexone blocks RFR-induced DNA double strand breaks in rat brain cells
Lai H, Carino MA, Singh NP · 1997
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation activates brain opioid systems that cause DNA damage, revealing a biological pathway linking RF exposure to genetic harm.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at 2.45 GHz for 2 hours and found significant DNA double strand breaks in brain cells. When they gave rats naltrexone (a drug that blocks the body's natural opioids), it partially prevented the DNA damage. This suggests that microwave radiation triggers the body's opioid system, which then contributes to genetic damage in brain tissue.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a fascinating biological pathway: radiofrequency radiation appears to activate the body's endogenous opioid system, which then contributes to DNA damage in brain cells. The exposure level used (1.2 W/kg SAR) is within the range of modern cell phone emissions, making these findings directly relevant to everyday wireless device use. What makes this research particularly significant is that it identifies a specific biological mechanism - the opioid pathway - that mediates RF-induced genetic damage. This isn't just correlation; it's evidence of causation through a defined biological route. The fact that blocking this pathway with naltrexone reduced DNA damage provides strong evidence that RF radiation triggers a cascade of biological events leading to genetic harm. This adds another layer to our understanding of how wireless radiation affects the brain beyond simple thermal heating.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.2 W/kg
- Power Density
- 2 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2450 MHz pulsed (2 µs pulses, 500 pps)
- Exposure Duration
- 2h
Exposure Context
This study used 2 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 200Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 3.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 1.2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3x 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 present experiment was carried out to investigate whether endogenous opioids are also involved in RFR‐induced DNA strand breaks.
Rats were treated with the opioid antagonist naltrexone (1 mg/kg, IP) immediately before and after e...
Results showed that the RFR exposure significantly increased DNA double strand breaks in brain cells...
Thus, these data indicate that endogenous opioids play a mediating role in RFR‐induced DNA strand breaks in brain cells of the rat.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_1997_naltrexone_blocks_rfrinduced_dna_51,
author = {Lai H and Carino MA and Singh NP},
title = {Naltrexone blocks RFR-induced DNA double strand breaks in rat brain cells},
year = {1997},
doi = {10.1023/A:1019154611749},
url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1019154611749},
}