Variations of melatonin and stress hormones under extended shifts and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.
Vangelova KK, Israel MS. · 2005
View Original AbstractHigher radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased stress hormones in workers, showing the body treats RF as a biological stressor.
Plain English Summary
Researchers measured stress hormones in 36 male operators working at broadcasting stations, TV stations, and satellite stations with different levels of radiofrequency radiation exposure. Workers exposed to higher RF levels (broadcasting station operators) showed significantly elevated levels of stress hormones including cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline compared to those with lower exposure. This suggests that occupational RF radiation exposure may trigger biological stress responses in the body.
Why This Matters
This study provides important evidence that radiofrequency radiation can trigger measurable stress responses in the human body. The researchers found a clear dose-response relationship - the higher the RF exposure, the greater the stress hormone elevation. What makes this particularly relevant is that the highest exposures (averaging 3.1 μW/cm² with peaks of 137 μW/cm²) are within ranges that workers and the public can encounter from various RF sources today. The fact that these biological changes occurred in real-world occupational settings, not just laboratory conditions, strengthens the evidence that RF radiation acts as a biological stressor. The science demonstrates that our bodies recognize and respond to RF radiation exposure, even when we're not consciously aware of it.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.00189, 0.0031,0.00524, 0.137 µW/m²
Exposure Context
This study used 0.00189, 0.0031,0.00524, 0.137 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 189Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 3.2Kx 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
The aim of this study is to investigate Variations of melatonin and stress hormones under extended shifts and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.
We studied the time-of-day variations in urinary levels of 6-sulphatoxy-melatonin and three stress h...
Measuring the time-weighted average (TWA) of EMR exposure revealed a high-level of exposure in broad...
In conclusion, the excretion of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin retained a typical diurnal pattern under fast-rotating extended shifts and radiofrequency EMR, but showed an exposure-effect relation with stress hormones.
Show BibTeX
@article{kk_2005_variations_of_melatonin_and_1405,
author = {Vangelova KK and Israel MS.},
title = {Variations of melatonin and stress hormones under extended shifts and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.},
year = {2005},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16121836/},
}