Plant sensitivity to low intensity 105 GHz electromagnetic radiation
Tafforeau M, Verdus MC, Norris V, White GJ, Cole M, Demarty M, Thellier M, Ripoll C · 2004
View Original AbstractPlants exposed to 105 GHz radiation for 2 hours showed stress responses similar to physical damage, suggesting millimeter waves affect living cells.
Plain English Summary
French researchers exposed flax plant seedlings to 105 GHz electromagnetic radiation (similar to frequencies used in some wireless technologies) for just 2 hours. They found this brief exposure triggered abnormal cell division patterns in the plants, creating clusters of rapidly dividing cells called meristems. The biological response was similar to what the plants showed when exposed to physical stress or mobile phone radiation, suggesting that even non-heating levels of millimeter wave radiation can trigger measurable biological changes in living organisms.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that millimeter wave frequencies can trigger biological responses in living systems at non-thermal power levels. The 105 GHz frequency tested falls within the range now being deployed for 5G networks, making these findings particularly relevant as we expand our use of these higher frequency bands. What makes this research especially noteworthy is that the plant response to electromagnetic radiation was comparable to known environmental stressors like cold shock and mechanical damage. The researchers demonstrated that just 2 hours of exposure was sufficient to initiate a cascade of cellular changes that persisted for weeks. While plants aren't humans, they share fundamental cellular processes with all living organisms, and this study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that our bodies can detect and respond to electromagnetic fields at levels well below current safety standards.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 105 GHz Duration: 2h
Study Details
Exposing seedlings of the flax, Linum usitatissimum L., to a variety of weak environmental stresses followed by a 2 day calcium deprivation, triggers the common response of production of epidermal meristems (actively dividing groups of cells) in the hypocotyl, which is the part of the stem between the root and the cotyledons (the pre-existing leaves in the embryo). This production reaches a plateau of 10-20 meristems after a month in the case of mechanical stimulation and cold shock. Recently, we have shown that radiation from a global system for mobile communication (GSM) telephone also triggers production of meristems with a plateau of around six meristems.
Here, we show that a single 2 h exposure to radiation emitted at 105 GHz at non-thermal levels by a...
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2004_plant_sensitivity_to_low_2613,
author = {Tafforeau M and Verdus MC and Norris V and White GJ and Cole M and Demarty M and Thellier M and Ripoll C},
title = {Plant sensitivity to low intensity 105 GHz electromagnetic radiation},
year = {2004},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15300725/},
}