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Brain & Nervous System150 citations

Cognitive impairment in rats after long-term exposure to GSM-900 mobile phone radiation

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Nittby H, Grafström G, Tian DP, Malmgren L, Brun A, Persson BR, Salford LG, Eberhardt J · 2008

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Rats exposed to cell phone radiation at typical usage levels showed significant memory problems after 55 weeks of exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swedish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation for 55 weeks and found significant memory problems compared to unexposed rats. The exposed animals had trouble remembering objects and when they encountered them, suggesting chronic mobile phone radiation may impair specific memory functions.

Why This Matters

This study provides compelling evidence that long-term exposure to cell phone radiation can impair cognitive function, specifically episodic memory - the type of memory we use to recall what happened when. What makes this research particularly significant is the exposure levels used: 0.6 and 60 mW/kg SAR values are well within the range of typical cell phone use. The 0.6 mW/kg level is actually lower than many phones produce during calls. The fact that memory deficits appeared after relatively modest weekly exposures over just over a year raises important questions about cumulative effects from daily phone use over decades. While this is animal research, the biological mechanisms of memory formation are remarkably similar between rats and humans, making these findings highly relevant to human health concerns.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.0006, 0.06 W/kg
Source/Device
GSM 900 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 h each week for 55 weeks

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.0006, 0.06 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the No Concern rangeFCC limit is 2,667x higher than this level
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 we investigated in a rat model the long-term effects of protracted exposure to Global System for Mobile Communication-900 MHz (GSM-900) radiation.

Out of a total of 56 rats, 32 were exposed for 2 h each week for 55 weeks to radio-frequency electro...

Effects on exploratory behaviour were evaluated in the open-field test, in which no difference was s...

Our results suggest significantly reduced memory functions in rats after GSM microwave exposure (P = 0.02).

Cite This Study
Nittby H, Grafström G, Tian DP, Malmgren L, Brun A, Persson BR, Salford LG, Eberhardt J (2008). Cognitive impairment in rats after long-term exposure to GSM-900 mobile phone radiation Bioelectromagnetics. 29:219-232, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2008_cognitive_impairment_in_rats_1229,
  author = {Nittby H and Grafström G and Tian DP and Malmgren L and Brun A and Persson BR and Salford LG and Eberhardt J},
  title = {Cognitive impairment in rats after long-term exposure to GSM-900 mobile phone radiation},
  year = {2008},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18044737/},
}
PubMed: 18044737

Cited By (150 papers)

View all 150 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, Swedish researchers found that rats exposed to GSM-900 MHz radiation for 55 weeks showed significant memory impairment compared to unexposed rats. The exposed animals had trouble remembering objects and when they encountered them, suggesting chronic mobile phone radiation may damage specific memory functions.
Researchers exposed rats to GSM-900 MHz cell phone radiation for 55 weeks in this Swedish study. This long-term exposure period was designed to mimic chronic human cell phone use and resulted in significant memory problems in the exposed animals.
No, the 2008 Swedish study found GSM-900 MHz radiation specifically impaired episodic-like memory - rats had trouble remembering objects and their temporal order. However, spatial memory (detecting where objects were placed) remained unaffected by the radiation exposure.
The episodic-like memory test revealed significant impairment in GSM-exposed rats. Animals had difficulty remembering both objects and the temporal order of their presentation compared to control rats, with statistical significance of P = 0.02 in this 55-week exposure study.
No, the Swedish researchers found no difference in exploratory behavior between GSM-900 MHz exposed and control rats in open-field tests. The radiation exposure specifically affected memory functions but did not impact general exploratory or movement behaviors in the animals.