Effect of electromagnetic radiofrequency radiation on the rats' brain, liver and kidney cells measured by comet assay
Trosić I, Pavicić I, Milković-Kraus S, Mladinić M, Zeljezić D · 2011
View Original AbstractTwo weeks of cell phone-level radiation caused measurable DNA damage in rat organs, suggesting genetic effects occur without heating.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation (915 MHz) for one hour daily over two weeks. DNA damage was found in liver and kidney cells using comet assay testing. This suggests short-term radiofrequency exposure at cell phone levels can cause genetic damage in organs.
Why This Matters
This study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that radiofrequency radiation can damage DNA at the cellular level. The exposure level used (0.6 W/kg SAR) is well within the range of what your cell phone produces when held against your head, making these findings directly relevant to daily phone use. What makes this research particularly significant is that DNA damage occurred across multiple organ systems after just two weeks of exposure. The science demonstrates that our cells don't need to heat up for biological effects to occur - the researchers confirmed no temperature changes in the animals. While the study's authors describe the DNA damage as modest compared to baseline levels, any measurable genetic damage from a consumer device should give us pause, especially considering the billions of people using these technologies daily.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.6 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.24 µW/m²
- Electric Field
- 30 V/m
- Source/Device
- 915 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 hour/day, 7 days/week for 2 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 0.24 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 24Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 400Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 30 V/m for electric fields:
- 100x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
This study used 0.6 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.5x 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
The goal of study was to evaluate DNA damage in rat's renal, liver and brain cells after in vivo exposure to radiofrequency/microwave (Rf/Mw) radiation of cellular phone frequencies range.
To determine DNA damage, a single cell gel electrophoresis/comet assay was used. Wistar rats (male, ...
There were no differences in temperature in between control and treated animals. Comet assay paramet...
The results of this study suggest that, under the experimental conditions applied, repeated 915 MHz irradiation could be a cause of DNA breaks in renal and liver cells, but not affect the cell genome at the higher extent compared to the basal damage.
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2011_effect_of_electromagnetic_radiofrequency_194,
author = {Trosić I and Pavicić I and Milković-Kraus S and Mladinić M and Zeljezić D},
title = {Effect of electromagnetic radiofrequency radiation on the rats' brain, liver and kidney cells measured by comet assay},
year = {2011},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22397269/},
}