Liver antioxidant stores protect the brain from electromagnetic radiation (900 and 1800 MHz)-induced oxidative stress in rats during pregnancy and the development of offspring.
Cetin H, Nazıroğlu M, Celik O, Yüksel M, Pastacı N, Ozkaya MO. · 2014
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation depleted protective antioxidants and increased brain oxidative stress in developing rats at exposure levels similar to everyday phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pregnant rats and their offspring to mobile phone radiation (900 and 1800 MHz) for 60 minutes daily, then measured oxidative stress markers in the brain and liver. The study found that EMF exposure decreased protective antioxidants in the liver while increasing oxidative stress markers in the brain, particularly affecting selenium levels. This suggests that mobile phone radiation can overwhelm the body's natural antioxidant defenses during critical developmental periods.
Why This Matters
This research adds important evidence to our understanding of EMF effects during vulnerable developmental periods. The study used SAR levels ranging from 0.001 to 1.1 W/kg, with the higher end approaching current regulatory limits for mobile phones (2 W/kg in the US). What's particularly concerning is that the liver's antioxidant stores, which normally protect against oxidative damage, were depleted by EMF exposure while brain oxidative stress increased. The science demonstrates that developing organisms may be especially susceptible to EMF-induced oxidative stress. This matters because oxidative stress is linked to numerous health problems, from cognitive issues to accelerated aging. The reality is that pregnant women and young children are regularly exposed to similar radiation levels from mobile phones and other wireless devices during these critical developmental windows.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.001,0.15 and 1.1 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.012 µW/m²
- Electric Field
- 10 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 and 1800 MHz Mobile Phone
- Exposure Duration
- 60 min/d
Exposure Context
This study used 0.012 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 1.2Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 20Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 10 V/m for electric fields:
- 33.3x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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 study determined the effects of mobile phone (900 and 1800 MHz)-induced electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exposure on oxidative stress in the brain and liver as well as the element levels in growing rats from pregnancy to 6 weeks of age.
Thirty-two rats and their offspring were equally divided into three different groups: the control, 9...
Brain and liver glutathione peroxidase activities, as well as liver vitamin A and β-carotene concent...
EMR-induced oxidative stress in the brain and liver was reduced during the development of offspring. Mobile phone-induced EMR could be considered as a cause of oxidative brain and liver injury in growing rats.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2014_liver_antioxidant_stores_protect_79,
author = {Cetin H and Nazıroğlu M and Celik O and Yüksel M and Pastacı N and Ozkaya MO.},
title = {Liver antioxidant stores protect the brain from electromagnetic radiation (900 and 1800 MHz)-induced oxidative stress in rats during pregnancy and the development of offspring.},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.3109/14767058.2014.898056},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14767058.2014.898056},
}