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Exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex.

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Nittby H, Widegren B, Krogh M, Grafström G, Berlin H, Rehn G, Eberhardt JL, Malmgren L, Persson BRR, Salford L. · 2008

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Exposure to GSM radiation at 1,800 MHz significantly altered gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex, with the most affected gene categories linked to membrane functions.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed Fischer 344 rats to radiation from a GSM mobile test phone at 1,800 MHz for 6 hours and then analyzed gene expression in the cortex and hippocampus. Four rats were exposed in an anechoic chamber one at a time, and four control rats were kept in the same chamber for the same duration without exposure. Gene ontology analysis found highly significant changes in gene categories related to membrane functions in both brain regions.

Why This Matters

The exposure level used was a whole-body SAR value of 13 mW/kg, corresponding to a brain SAR value of 30 mW/kg. The microarray analysis covered 31,099 rat genes, including splicing variants. The gene categories found to be significantly altered included extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane, and integral to membrane. The researchers noted that the altered membrane-related gene categories may relate to an earlier observation of albumin transport through brain capillaries.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.013 (Whole body) and 0.03 (brain) W/kg
Source/Device
1,800 MHz GSM Mobile test phone
Exposure Duration
6h

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.013 (Whole body) and 0.03 (brain) W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Severe Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 123 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1.80 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1.80 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

To study whether the exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex.

The study was conducted with 6 h of exposure to the radiation from a GSM mobile test phone at 1,800 ...

Gene ontology analysis (using the gene ontology categories biological processes, molecular functions...

Cite This Study
Nittby H, Widegren B, Krogh M, Grafström G, Berlin H, Rehn G, Eberhardt JL, Malmgren L, Persson BRR, Salford L. (2008). Exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex. Environmentalist 28(4), 458-465, 2008.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2008_exposure_to_radiation_from_19,
  author = {Nittby H and Widegren B and Krogh M and Grafström G and Berlin H and Rehn G and Eberhardt JL and Malmgren L and Persson BRR and Salford L.},
  title = {Exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex.},
  year = {2008},
  doi = {10.1007/s10669-008-9170-8},
  url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-008-9170-8},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s10669-008-9170-8

Cited By (43 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

The study used radiation from a GSM mobile test phone at 1,800 MHz.
The highly significant altered gene categories in both cortex and hippocampus were extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane, and integral to membrane.
Eight Fischer 344 rats were studied, with 4 exposed and 4 controls kept in the same anechoic chamber without exposure.
The exposure corresponded to a whole-body SAR value of 13 mW/kg and a brain SAR value of 30 mW/kg.
The researchers suggested the altered membrane-related gene categories may have a relation to their earlier observation of albumin transport through brain capillaries.