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Multinucleated giant cell appearance after whole body microwave irradiation of rats.

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Trosic I · 2001

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Microwave radiation at 2450 MHz caused abnormal multi-nucleus formation in rat lung cells, showing dose-dependent cellular stress responses.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) for 2 hours daily over 30 days and examined lung cells. They found that the radiation caused lung immune cells called macrophages to develop abnormal multiple nuclei, with the effect becoming more severe with longer exposure. This cellular abnormality indicates the lungs were under stress from the microwave exposure.

Why This Matters

This study reveals concerning cellular damage in lung tissue from microwave radiation exposure at levels that, while higher than typical consumer devices, fall within ranges used by some industrial and medical applications. The formation of multinucleated giant cells represents a stress response typically seen when the body encounters foreign substances or toxins. What makes this research particularly relevant is that it demonstrates dose-dependent effects - meaning longer exposure produced more severe cellular abnormalities. The 2450 MHz frequency studied is the same used by microwave ovens and many wireless devices, though at different power levels. While we can't directly extrapolate animal studies to humans, this research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chronic microwave exposure can trigger biological stress responses even when thermal heating doesn't occur.

Exposure Details

Power Density
5 – 15 µW/m²
Source/Device
2450 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 h per day, 5 days per week for 30 days

Exposure Context

This study used 5 – 15 µW/m² for radio frequency:

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 Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 5 – 15 µW/m²Extreme Concern1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit10M uW/m2Effects observed in the Slight Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2,000,000x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

This study investigated the influence of 2450 MHz microwave irradiation on alveolar macrophage kinetics and formation of multinucleated giant cells after whole body irradiation of rats.

The range of electromagnetic radiation was selected as 2450 MHz microwaves at a power density of 5 –...

Total cell number retrieved by lavage slightly decreased in treated animals showing time- and dose-d...

Cite This Study
Trosic I (2001). Multinucleated giant cell appearance after whole body microwave irradiation of rats. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 204(2-3):133-138, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2001_multinucleated_giant_cell_appearance_46,
  author = {Trosic I},
  title = {Multinucleated giant cell appearance after whole body microwave irradiation of rats.},
  year = {2001},
  
  url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463904700851},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) for 2 hours daily over 30 days and examined lung cells. They found that the radiation caused lung immune cells called macrophages to develop abnormal multiple nuclei, with the effect becoming more severe with longer exposure. This cellular abnormality indicates the lungs were under stress from the microwave exposure.