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Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Cancer & Tumors

TP53 tumor suppressor protein in normal human fibroblasts does not respond to 837 MHz microwave exposure.

No Effects Found

Li, JR, Chou, CK, McDougall, JA, Dasgupta, G, Wu, HH, Ren, RL, Lee, A, Han, J, Momand J · 1999

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This study found no immediate cellular damage response to cell phone-level microwave radiation, but examined only one biomarker over 48 hours.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed human cells to 837 MHz microwave radiation (the frequency used by early cell phones) for 2 hours at power levels ranging from 0.9 to 9.0 W/kg. They measured levels of TP53, a critical protein that normally increases when cells are damaged and helps prevent cancer formation. The study found no changes in TP53 levels up to 48 hours after exposure, suggesting these microwave frequencies did not trigger the cellular damage response.

Why This Matters

This 1999 study examined one specific cellular marker - the TP53 tumor suppressor protein - which acts as a cellular 'alarm system' when DNA damage occurs. The researchers found no activation of this protein after microwave exposure, even at the higher 9.0 W/kg level, which exceeds current safety limits for cell phone radiation (2.0 W/kg in the US). While this suggests no immediate DNA damage response, it's important to understand this study's limitations. The research only examined one biomarker over 48 hours in isolated cells, not the complex interactions that occur in living tissue over months or years of exposure. The reality is that TP53 is just one of many cellular pathways that could be affected by RF radiation. As we've learned from other environmental hazards, the absence of one specific response doesn't guarantee overall safety, particularly when we're talking about chronic, long-term exposures that most cell phone users experience daily.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.9 or 9.0 W/kg
Source/Device
837 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 hours

Exposure Context

This study used 0.9 or 9.0 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.9 or 9.0 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 837 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 837 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

To evaluate the safety of cellular telephones, TP53 responses in human fibroblast cells were studied after exposure to 837 MHz microwaves.

Cells were exposed in a temperature-controlled transverse electromagnetic (TEM) chamber to a specifi...

No morphological alterations were observed in microwave-treated cells compared to sham-treated cells...

We conclude that TP53 protein expression levels in cultured human fibroblast cells do not change significantly during a 48-h period after exposure to 837 MHz continuous microwaves for 2 h at SAR levels of 0.9 or 9.0 W/kg.

Cite This Study
Li, JR, Chou, CK, McDougall, JA, Dasgupta, G, Wu, HH, Ren, RL, Lee, A, Han, J, Momand J (1999). TP53 tumor suppressor protein in normal human fibroblasts does not respond to 837 MHz microwave exposure. Radiat Res 151(6):710-716, 1999.
Show BibTeX
@article{li_1999_tp53_tumor_suppressor_protein_3195,
  author = {Li and JR and Chou and CK and McDougall and JA and Dasgupta and G and Wu and HH and Ren and RL and Lee and A and Han and J and Momand J},
  title = {TP53 tumor suppressor protein in normal human fibroblasts does not respond to 837 MHz microwave exposure.},
  year = {1999},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10360791/},
}
PubMed: 10360791

Cited By (14 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 1999 study found that 837 MHz microwave radiation did not damage human fibroblast cells. Researchers exposed cells for 2 hours at power levels up to 9.0 W/kg and found no changes in TP53 protein levels, which normally increases when cells are damaged.
TP53 is a tumor suppressor protein that increases when cells are damaged to help prevent cancer formation. Research on 837 MHz radiation (early cell phone frequency) showed no changes in TP53 levels after 2-hour exposures, suggesting no cellular damage response was triggered.
A study testing 0.9 W/kg and 9.0 W/kg SAR levels from 837 MHz radiation found no cellular damage in human fibroblasts. Neither power level triggered changes in TP53 protein or caused visible cell alterations after 48 hours of observation.
Researchers monitored human cells for 48 hours after 2-hour exposure to 837 MHz microwave radiation and found no damage. The study measured TP53 protein levels, which would normally increase within this timeframe if cellular damage had occurred.
Research on 837 MHz radiation (used by early cell phones) found no activation of TP53, a key cancer prevention protein. Human fibroblast cells showed no changes in this tumor suppressor protein even at high power levels of 9.0 W/kg.