Influence of 400, 900, and 1900 MHz electromagnetic fields on Lemna minor growth and peroxidase activity.
Tkalec M, Malaric K, Pevalek-Kozlina B. · 2005
View Original AbstractPlant growth dropped significantly at 900 MHz cell phone frequencies but not at 400 MHz, proving biological effects depend on frequency, not just field strength.
Plain English Summary
Scientists exposed duckweed plants to cell phone-like electromagnetic frequencies and found that 900 MHz signals significantly stunted plant growth within just 2 hours, while 400 MHz had no effect. This demonstrates that EMF biological effects depend on specific frequencies, not just signal strength.
Why This Matters
This study matters because it demonstrates frequency-specific biological effects using controlled laboratory conditions and standardized exposure methods. The 900 MHz frequency that showed the strongest growth inhibition falls right in the range used by GSM cell phones, while the less harmful 400 MHz is closer to older analog systems. What makes this research particularly valuable is that it used a GTEM cell for precise exposure control, eliminating many variables that plague EMF research. The finding that identical field strengths produced dramatically different effects depending on frequency challenges the industry position that only heating effects matter. While plants aren't humans, they share fundamental cellular processes, and this research adds to the growing body of evidence that non-thermal EMF effects are real and measurable.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 23 V/m
- Source/Device
- 400, 900, and 1900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h
Exposure Context
This study used 23 V/m for electric fields:
- 76.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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.
Study Details
The aim of the study was to evaluate Influence of 400, 900, and 1900 MHz electromagnetic fields on Lemna minor growth and peroxidase activity
Duckweed growth and peroxidase activity was evaluated after exposure in a Gigahertz Transversal Elec...
The growth of plants exposed for 2 h to the 23 V/m electric field of 900 MHz significantly decreased...
Our results suggest that investigated electromagnetic fields (EMFs) might influence plant growth and, to some extent, peroxidase activity. However, the effects of EMFs strongly depended on the characteristics of the field exposure
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2005_influence_of_400_900_573,
author = {Tkalec M and Malaric K and Pevalek-Kozlina B.},
title = {Influence of 400, 900, and 1900 MHz electromagnetic fields on Lemna minor growth and peroxidase activity.},
year = {2005},
doi = {10.1002/bem.20104},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20104},
}