Evaluation of the potential of mobile phone specific electromagnetic fields (UMTS) to produce micronuclei in human glioblastoma cell lines.
Al-Serori H, Kundi M, Ferk F, Mišík M, Nersesyan A, Murbach M, Lah TT, Knasmüller S. · 2017
View Original AbstractUMTS cell phone radiation showed no chromosomal damage in brain tumor cells at real-world exposure levels, though cell death occurred at highest doses.
Plain English Summary
Austrian researchers exposed human brain tumor cells to UMTS cell phone radiation for 16 hours at levels reflecting real-world phone use (SAR levels of 0.25 to 1.0 W/kg). They found no evidence of DNA damage or chromosomal abnormalities, though the highest exposure level triggered programmed cell death in one type of brain cancer cell. This study suggests UMTS phone signals may not directly damage genetic material in brain cells.
Why This Matters
This study provides important data on one specific aspect of cell phone radiation effects, but it requires careful interpretation. While the researchers found no chromosomal damage from UMTS signals, they did observe programmed cell death at the highest exposure level - an effect that warrants further investigation. The study used brain tumor cells rather than healthy brain tissue, which limits how we can apply these findings to everyday phone use. What's particularly relevant is that the SAR levels tested (0.25 to 1.0 W/kg) mirror what your head experiences during typical phone calls. However, this single study examining one biological endpoint cannot definitively answer broader questions about cell phone safety. The science demonstrates that EMF effects are complex and may manifest through multiple biological pathways beyond direct DNA damage.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.25, 0.50 and 1 W/kg
- Exposure Duration
- 16 hours
Exposure Context
This study used 0.25, 0.50 and 1 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.5x 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
We investigated the effects of the universal mobile telecommunications system radiofrequency (UMTS-RF) signal, which is used in “smart” phones, on micronucleus (MN) formation and other anomalies such as nuclear buds (NBUDs) and nucleoplasmatic bridges (NPBs).
MN are formed by structural and numerical aberrations, NBs reflect gene amplification and NPBs are f...
In presence and absence of mitomycin C as former studies indicate that RF may cause synergistic effe...
Our findings indicate that the UMTS-RF signal does not cause chromosomal damage in glioblastoma cells; the mechanisms which lead to induction of programmed cell death will be investigated in further studies.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_2017_evaluation_of_the_potential_808,
author = {Al-Serori H and Kundi M and Ferk F and Mišík M and Nersesyan A and Murbach M and Lah TT and Knasmüller S.},
title = {Evaluation of the potential of mobile phone specific electromagnetic fields (UMTS) to produce micronuclei in human glioblastoma cell lines.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887233317300139},
}