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Reduced growth of soybean seedlings after exposure to weak microwave radiation from GSM 900 mobile phone and base station.

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Malka N. Halgamuge, See Kye Yak and Jacob L. Eberhardt · 2015

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Higher-amplitude GSM radiation diminished epicotyl outgrowth, lower-amplitude GSM had no effect, and the effects depended on field strength and modulation.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Soybean seedlings pre-grown for 4 days were exposed for 2 h to GSM 900 MHz pulsed radiation or continuous wave radiation at amplitudes of 5.7 and 41 V m(-1) in a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic cell. Exposure to higher amplitude (41 V m(-1)) GSM radiation resulted in diminished outgrowth of the epicotyl. Exposure to lower amplitude (5.7 V m(-1)) GSM radiation did not influence outgrowth of epicotyl, hypocotyls, or roots. Higher amplitude CW radiation reduced root outgrowth while lower CW exposure reduced hypocotyl outgrowth. A separate 5-day exposure to 0.56 V m(-1) GSM radiation reduced epicotyl and hypocotyl growth but stimulated root outgrowth.

Why This Matters

The aim of the work was to study possible effects of environmental radiation pollution on plants. The researchers investigated the association between cellular telephone radiation (short duration, higher amplitude) and base station radiation (long duration, very low amplitude) on soybean seedling growth. The findings indicate that the observed effects were significantly dependent on field strength as well as amplitude modulation of the applied field.

Exposure Details

Electric Field
5.7 and 41 V/m
Source/Device
900 MHz Mobile Phone
Exposure Duration
2 h

Exposure Context

This study used 5.7 and 41 V/m for electric fields:

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.

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

The aim of this work was to study possible effects of environmental radiation pollution on plants.

The association between cellular telephone (short duration, higher amplitude) and base station (long...

The exposure to higher amplitude (41 V m(-1)) GSM radiation resulted in diminished outgrowth of the ...

Our findings indicate that the observed effects were significantly dependent on field strength as well as amplitude modulation of the applied field.

Cite This Study
Malka N. Halgamuge, See Kye Yak and Jacob L. Eberhardt (2015). Reduced growth of soybean seedlings after exposure to weak microwave radiation from GSM 900 mobile phone and base station. Bioelectromagnetics. 36(2):87-95, 2015.
Show BibTeX
@article{halgamuge_2015_reduced_growth_of_soybean_1175,
  author = {Malka N. Halgamuge and See Kye Yak and Jacob L. Eberhardt},
  title = {Reduced growth of soybean seedlings after exposure to weak microwave radiation from GSM 900 mobile phone and base station.},
  year = {2015},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25644316/},
}
PubMed: 25644316

Cited By (41 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

The aim was to study possible effects of environmental radiation pollution on plants.
Soybean seedlings pre-grown for 4 days were exposed for 2 h to GSM 900 MHz pulsed radiation or continuous wave radiation at amplitudes of 5.7 and 41 V m(-1) in a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic cell.
Exposure to higher amplitude (41 V m(-1)) GSM radiation resulted in diminished outgrowth of the epicotyl.
Soybean seedlings exposed for 5 days to 0.56 V m(-1) GSM radiation showed reduced epicotyl and hypocotyl growth and stimulated root outgrowth.