Blood-brain barrier permeability and nerve cell damage in rat brain 14 and 28 days after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones
Eberhardt JL, Persson BR, Brun AE, Salford LG, Malmgren LO · 2008
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation damaged rats' brain barriers at levels 100 times below current safety limits, with effects lasting weeks.
Plain English Summary
Swedish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation at levels similar to what users experience and found it damaged the blood-brain barrier (the protective shield around the brain) and harmed brain cells. The damage appeared at very low exposure levels and persisted for weeks after exposure ended. This suggests that regular cell phone use could potentially compromise brain protection and cause neurological damage over time.
Why This Matters
This landmark study from Sweden's Lund University demonstrates something the wireless industry has long denied: cell phone radiation can breach the blood-brain barrier at exposure levels well within current safety limits. The researchers found significant damage at SAR levels as low as 0.12 mW/kg, which is 100 times lower than the current US limit of 1.6 W/kg. What makes this particularly concerning is that the blood-brain barrier exists specifically to protect your brain from toxins and foreign substances. When this barrier becomes permeable, it allows albumin (a blood protein) to leak into brain tissue, where it doesn't belong. The fact that neuronal damage appeared weeks after exposure ended suggests these effects may be cumulative and long-lasting. The wireless industry often dismisses such studies, but this research used actual GSM phones under carefully controlled conditions, making the findings directly relevant to real-world exposure.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.00012,0.0012,0.012,0.12 W/kg
- Power Density
- 0.00052,0.0052,0.52,5.2 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz Mobile phone
- Exposure Duration
- continuous for 2 h
Exposure Context
This study used 0.00052,0.0052,0.52,5.2 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 52Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 866.7x 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
We investigated the effects of global system for mobile communication (GSM) microwave exposure on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier and signs of neuronal damage in rats using a real GSM programmable mobile phone in the 900 MHz band.
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Show BibTeX
@article{jl_2008_bloodbrain_barrier_permeability_and_96,
author = {Eberhardt JL and Persson BR and Brun AE and Salford LG and Malmgren LO},
title = {Blood-brain barrier permeability and nerve cell damage in rat brain 14 and 28 days after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1080/15368370802344037},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15368370802344037},
}