Erythropoietic changes in rats after 2.45 GJz nonthermal irradiation.
Busljeta I, Trosic I, Milkovic-Kraus S. · 2004
View Original AbstractNon-thermal 2.45 GHz radiation disrupted blood cell production and increased DNA damage in bone marrow at power levels similar to nearby WiFi devices.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 2.45 GHz radiation (WiFi frequency) for 2 hours daily and found it disrupted blood cell production in bone marrow while increasing genetic damage markers. These effects occurred at non-heating power levels, suggesting biological impacts below thermal thresholds.
Why This Matters
This study reveals how microwave radiation at 2.45 GHz can disrupt one of our body's most fundamental processes: blood cell production. The power density used (5-10 mW/cm²) is within range of what you might encounter from WiFi routers and other wireless devices in your immediate vicinity, though typically for shorter durations. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates clear biological effects at non-thermal levels, challenging the outdated assumption that EMF radiation is only harmful when it heats tissue. The increased micronucleus formation is especially concerning, as this indicates DNA damage in developing blood cells. While this is an animal study, the bone marrow effects observed here add to a growing body of evidence suggesting our current safety standards may not adequately protect against the biological impacts of chronic microwave exposure.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 5 - 10 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2.45 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 hours daily, 7 days a week
Exposure Context
This study used 5 - 10 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 500Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 8.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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 purpose of this study was to observe the erythropoietic changes in rats subchronically exposed to radiofrequency microwave (RF/MW) irradiation at nonthermal level
Adult male Wistar rats (N=40) were exposed to 2.45 GHz continuous RF/MW fields for 2 hours daily, 7 ...
In the exposed animals erythrocyte count, haemoglobin and haematocrit were increased in peripheral b...
In the applied experimental condition, RF/MW radiation might cause disturbance in red cell maturation and proliferation, and induce micronucleus formation in erythropoietic cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2004_erythropoietic_changes_in_rats_882,
author = {Busljeta I and Trosic I and Milkovic-Kraus S.},
title = {Erythropoietic changes in rats after 2.45 GJz nonthermal irradiation.},
year = {2004},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15729835/},
}