Microwave radiation induced oxidative stress, cognitive impairment and inflammation in brain of Fischer rats
Megha K, Deshmukh PS, Banerjee BD, Tripathi AK, Abegaonkar MP. · 2012
View Original AbstractBrain damage occurred at radiation levels 3,000 times below current safety limits, challenging assumptions about 'safe' exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to cell phone-level microwave radiation (900 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 30 days and found significant brain damage including memory problems, cellular stress, and inflammation. The exposure level was extremely low - about 1,000 times weaker than current safety limits - yet still caused measurable harm to brain tissue. This challenges the assumption that only high-intensity radiation poses health risks.
Why This Matters
This study delivers a troubling message: microwave radiation at levels far below what regulators consider 'safe' can damage the brain. The SAR level used (0.0005953 W/kg) is roughly 3,000 times lower than the FCC limit of 1.6 W/kg, yet it still triggered oxidative stress, cognitive impairment, and brain inflammation in just 30 days. What makes this particularly significant is that these rats experienced daily 2-hour exposures - not unlike many people's cell phone usage patterns. The researchers found elevated levels of inflammatory markers (IL-6 and TNF-α) that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases in humans. This adds to a growing body of evidence showing biological effects occur at power levels once thought harmless. The reality is that our safety standards were set decades ago based on heating effects alone, ignoring the mounting evidence of non-thermal biological impacts like those demonstrated here.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0005953 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 30 days (2 h/day)
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to observe Microwave radiation induced oxidative stress, cognitive impairment and inflammation in brain of Fischer rats
To evaluate the intensity of oxidative stress, cognitive impairment and inflammation in brain of Fis...
Significant impairment in cognitive function and induction of oxidative stress in brain tissues of m...
Results of the present study indicated that increased oxidative stress due to microwave exposure may contribute to cognitive impairment and inflammation in brain.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2012_microwave_radiation_induced_oxidative_553,
author = {Megha K and Deshmukh PS and Banerjee BD and Tripathi AK and Abegaonkar MP.},
title = {Microwave radiation induced oxidative stress, cognitive impairment and inflammation in brain of Fischer rats},
year = {2012},
url = {http://nopr.niscair.res.in/handle/123456789/15176},
}