Effects of prenatal exposure to WIFI signal (2.45GHz) on postnatal development and behavior in rat: Influence of maternal restraint.
Othman H, Ammari M, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H · 2017
View Original AbstractPrenatal WiFi exposure at household frequencies altered brain development and caused behavioral problems in offspring rats.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pregnant rats to 2.45GHz WiFi signals (the same frequency used by most home routers) for 2 hours daily throughout pregnancy, then tested their offspring for developmental and behavioral changes. They found that prenatal WiFi exposure altered physical development and caused anxiety, motor problems, and learning difficulties in the young rats, with effects being more severe when combined with maternal stress. The study also revealed oxidative stress (cellular damage) in the brains of exposed offspring.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that prenatal EMF exposure may affect developing brains and behavior. The 2.45GHz frequency used here is identical to what your home WiFi router emits, making these findings directly relevant to pregnant women in typical household environments. What's particularly concerning is that the researchers found measurable effects on offspring development and behavior, along with oxidative stress in brain tissue. The science demonstrates that the developing brain appears especially vulnerable to EMF exposure during critical growth periods. While we can't directly extrapolate animal studies to humans, this research aligns with other studies suggesting that pregnant women should consider minimizing unnecessary EMF exposure, especially from devices like WiFi routers in bedrooms or areas where they spend extended time.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2.45GHz
Study Details
The present study was carried out to investigate the potential combined influence of maternal restraint stress and 2.45GHz WiFi signal exposure on postnatal development and behavior in the offspring of exposed rats.
24 pregnant albino Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups: Control, WiFi-exposed, restrai...
Our main findings showed no detrimental effects on gestation progress and outcomes at delivery in al...
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2017_effects_of_prenatal_exposure_2492,
author = {Othman H and Ammari M and Sakly M and Abdelmelek H},
title = {Effects of prenatal exposure to WIFI signal (2.45GHz) on postnatal development and behavior in rat: Influence of maternal restraint.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28288806/},
}