Oxidative and mutagenic effects of low intensity GSM 1800 MHz microwave radiation.
Yakymenko I, Burlaka A, Tsybulin I, Brieieva I, Buchynska L, Tsehmistrenko I, Chekhun F. · 2018
View Original AbstractSmartphone radiation at typical exposure levels caused DNA damage and doubled embryo death rates in this controlled study.
Plain English Summary
Ukrainian researchers exposed developing quail embryos to low-level cell phone radiation (1800 MHz) at power levels typical of smartphone use. The radiation caused significant DNA damage, doubled the production of harmful molecules that damage cells, and nearly doubled embryo death rates. This demonstrates that even very low levels of wireless radiation can cause genetic damage in developing organisms.
Why This Matters
This study delivers compelling evidence that wireless radiation causes biological harm at power levels far below current safety limits. The exposure level of 0.32 µW/cm² is roughly equivalent to what you might experience from a smartphone at moderate distance, yet it produced dramatic cellular damage including DNA breaks and oxidative stress markers. What makes this research particularly significant is that it used an actual commercial smartphone rather than laboratory equipment, making the findings directly relevant to real-world exposures. The near-doubling of embryo mortality is especially concerning given that developing organisms are considered more vulnerable to radiation effects. The science demonstrates that our current safety standards, based solely on heating effects, fail to protect against the oxidative and genetic damage that this and hundreds of other peer-reviewed studies have documented.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.00032 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- Discontinuously - 48 s - On, 12 s - Off, during 5 days before and 14 days through the incubation period.
Exposure Context
This study used 0.00032 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 32Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 533.3x 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
This study aims to assess oxidative and mutagenic effects of low intensity MWR from a typical commercial model of a modern smartphone.
The model of developing quail embryos has been used for the assessment of oxidative and mutagenic ef...
The exposure of quail embryos before and during the incubation period to low intensity GSM 1800 MHz ...
The exposure of model biological system to low intensity GSM 1800 MHz MWR resulted in significant oxidative and mutagenic effects in exposed cells, and thus should be recognized as a significant risk factor for living cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{i_2018_oxidative_and_mutagenic_effects_580,
author = {Yakymenko I and Burlaka A and Tsybulin I and Brieieva I and Buchynska L and Tsehmistrenko I and Chekhun F.},
title = {Oxidative and mutagenic effects of low intensity GSM 1800 MHz microwave radiation.},
year = {2018},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30593748/},
}