DNA damage and repair induced by acute exposure of microwave from mobile phone on cultured human lens epithelial cells
Sun LX, Yao K, Jiang H, He JL, Lu DQ, Wang KJ, Li HW · 2006
View Original AbstractEye cells showed DNA repair capacity at typical phone radiation levels but sustained damage at 4 times normal exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human eye lens cells to cell phone radiation at different power levels for 2 hours to see if it damaged DNA. They found that lower exposure levels (similar to typical phone use) caused no DNA damage, but higher levels (4 times normal) did cause measurable DNA breaks and reduced cell growth. This suggests there may be a threshold below which cells can repair radiation damage effectively.
Why This Matters
This study provides important evidence about dose-response relationships in EMF exposure, showing that human eye cells can withstand typical cell phone radiation levels without permanent DNA damage. The research used SAR levels of 1-4 W/kg, with significant damage only appearing at 4 W/kg - well above the 2 W/kg limit for phones in most countries. What's particularly noteworthy is that cells showed repair capacity at moderate exposure levels, with DNA damage disappearing within an hour at 3 W/kg. However, this shouldn't be interpreted as proof of complete safety. The eye lens is particularly vulnerable to radiation because these cells don't replace themselves throughout life, making any cumulative damage potentially significant. The study also used acute 2-hour exposures rather than the chronic, intermittent exposure patterns typical of real-world phone use.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 217 Hz modulated 1. 8 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 hours
Exposure Context
This study used 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
To investigate the effects of acute exposure of low-power 217 Hz modulated 1. 8 GHz microwave radiation on the DNA damage of human lens epithelial cells (hLECs) and repair.
Cultured hLECs were exposed to 217 Hz modulated 1. 8 GHz microwave radiation at SAR (specific absorp...
The difference of DNA-breaks between the exposure and sham exposure groups induced by 1.0 and 2.0 W/...
No effective DNA damage was induced using comet assay after 2 hours irradiation of 1. 8 GHz microwave on hLECs at the dose SAR < or = 3.0 W/kg. 4.0 W/kg irradiation caused significantly DNA damage and inhibition of hLECs proliferation.
Show BibTeX
@article{lx_2006_dna_damage_and_repair_774,
author = {Sun LX and Yao K and Jiang H and He JL and Lu DQ and Wang KJ and Li HW},
title = {DNA damage and repair induced by acute exposure of microwave from mobile phone on cultured human lens epithelial cells},
year = {2006},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/med/17415965},
}