Effects of microwave (2.45 GHz) irradiation on some biological characters of Salmonella typhimurium.
Nasri K, Daghfous D, Landoulsi A. · 2013
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at WiFi frequencies damaged bacterial cell membranes in just 40 seconds, showing biological effects beyond heating.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed Salmonella bacteria to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation (the same frequency as WiFi and microwave ovens) for 40 seconds and found it significantly damaged the bacteria's cell membranes. The radiation altered the fatty acid composition of the cell walls and made the bacteria more vulnerable to antibiotics. This demonstrates that microwave radiation can cause measurable biological changes at the cellular level, even in simple organisms like bacteria.
Why This Matters
This study provides important evidence that microwave radiation at 2.45 GHz can cause measurable biological effects at the cellular level. While the research focused on bacteria rather than human cells, the findings are significant because they demonstrate that non-ionizing radiation can alter cell membrane composition and integrity. The frequency used (2.45 GHz) is identical to that emitted by WiFi routers, Bluetooth devices, and microwave ovens. The fact that even brief exposure caused structural changes to cell membranes raises questions about what similar exposures might do to human cells over time. The science demonstrates that biological effects from microwave radiation aren't limited to heating - they include structural changes to cellular components that could have broader implications for biological systems.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2.45 GHz
Study Details
The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of sub-lethal doses of microwave radiation on some biological characteristics in Salmonella typhimurium.
The aim was to show the relationship between this treatment and the development of radiotolerance in...
The results have shown that the exposure of bacteria to microwaves resulted in a significant inhibit...
This study represents one of the few demonstrating the modifications on the bacterial membrane as a cellular response to survive the non-ionising radiation stress.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2013_effects_of_microwave_245_2460,
author = {Nasri K and Daghfous D and Landoulsi A.},
title = {Effects of microwave (2.45 GHz) irradiation on some biological characters of Salmonella typhimurium.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23849722/},
}