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Fifty-gigahertz Microwave exposure effect of radiations on rat brain.

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Kesari KK, Behari J. · 2009

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Even extremely low 5G-frequency radiation caused DNA damage and brain cell stress in this 45-day study.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to 50-gigahertz microwave radiation (similar to 5G frequencies) for 2 hours daily over 45 days at very low power levels. The study found significant DNA damage in brain cells, along with disrupted antioxidant defenses and decreased protein kinase C activity. These cellular changes suggest that even low-level millimeter wave exposure may affect brain function and cellular health.

Why This Matters

This research provides important evidence that millimeter wave frequencies used in 5G networks can cause biological effects at power levels well below current safety standards. The study used 50 GHz radiation at an extremely low SAR of 0.0008 W/kg - roughly 2,000 times lower than the FCC limit of 1.6 W/kg for cell phones. Yet even at these minimal exposure levels, researchers documented DNA strand breaks and oxidative stress in brain tissue. What makes this particularly significant is that the exposure duration mimicked realistic usage patterns rather than acute high-dose scenarios. The combination of DNA damage and disrupted cellular defenses suggests these frequencies may pose cumulative health risks that current regulations don't account for. This adds to growing evidence that our safety standards, based primarily on heating effects, may be inadequate for protecting against the biological impacts of chronic low-level exposure.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.0008 W/kg
Power Density
0.00086 µW/m²
Source/Device
50-GHz
Exposure Duration
2 h a day for 45 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.00086 µW/m² for radio frequency:

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 Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.00086 µW/m²Extreme Concern1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit10M uW/m2Effects observed in the No Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 11,627,906,977x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

The object of this study is to investigate the effects of 50-GHz microwave radiation on the brain of Wistar rats.

Male rats of the Wistar strain were used in the study. Animals of 60-day age were divided into two g...

Result shows that the chronic exposure to these radiations causes DNA double-strand break (head and ...

We conclude that these radiations can have a significant effect on the whole brain.

Cite This Study
Kesari KK, Behari J. (2009). Fifty-gigahertz Microwave exposure effect of radiations on rat brain. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 158:126-39, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{kk_2009_fiftygigahertz_microwave_exposure_effect_15,
  author = {Kesari KK and Behari J.},
  title = {Fifty-gigahertz Microwave exposure effect of radiations on rat brain.},
  year = {2009},
  doi = {10.1007/s12010-008-8469-8},
  url = {http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12010-008-8469-8},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to 50-gigahertz microwave radiation (similar to 5G frequencies) for 2 hours daily over 45 days at very low power levels. The study found significant DNA damage in brain cells, along with disrupted antioxidant defenses and decreased protein kinase C activity. These cellular changes suggest that even low-level millimeter wave exposure may affect brain function and cellular health.