Exposure of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to electromagnetic fields associated with cellular phones leads to chromosomal instability.
Mashevich M, Folkman D, Kesar A, Barbul A, Korenstein R, Jerby E, Avivi L · 2003
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation caused chromosomal damage in human blood cells at exposure levels similar to what your head receives during phone calls.
Plain English Summary
Israeli researchers exposed human blood cells to cell phone radiation (830 MHz) for 72 hours and found that higher radiation levels caused increasing chromosomal damage, specifically abnormal chromosome numbers (aneuploidy). This type of genetic damage is known to increase cancer risk. The researchers confirmed this wasn't due to heating effects, proving the radiation itself damages DNA through non-thermal mechanisms.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that cell phone radiation causes direct genetic damage at the cellular level. The researchers found a linear relationship between radiation intensity and chromosomal abnormalities, meaning more radiation caused proportionally more damage. What makes this particularly concerning is that the SAR levels tested (1.6-8.8 W/kg) overlap with real-world cell phone exposures, which can reach 2 W/kg at your head during calls. The fact that this damage occurred through non-thermal pathways challenges the industry's long-standing position that only heating effects from EMF matter for human health. The science demonstrates that our cells can be harmed by radiation levels well below those that cause tissue heating. Aneuploidy, the type of chromosomal damage observed, is a recognized pathway to cancer development, making these findings particularly significant for long-term health risks.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.6-8.8 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 830 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 72 hr
Exposure Context
This study used 1.6-8.8 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 4x 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
We have examined whether in vitro exposure of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to continuous 830 MHz electromagnetic fields causes losses and gains of chromosomes (aneuploidy), a major "somatic mutation" leading to genomic instability and thereby to cancer.
PBL were irradiated at different average absorption rates (SAR) in the range of 1.6-8.8 W/kg for 72 ...
A linear increase in chromosome 17 aneuploidy was observed as a function of the SAR value, demonstra...
These findings indicate that the genotoxic effect of the electromagnetic radiation is elicited via a non-thermal pathway. Moreover, the fact that aneuploidy is a phenomenon known to increase the risk for cancer, should be taken into consideration in future evaluation of exposure guidelines.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2003_exposure_of_human_peripheral_1186,
author = {Mashevich M and Folkman D and Kesar A and Barbul A and Korenstein R and Jerby E and Avivi L},
title = {Exposure of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to electromagnetic fields associated with cellular phones leads to chromosomal instability.},
year = {2003},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12524674/},
}