Effects of exposure to 2100MHz GSM-like radiofrequency electromagnetic field on auditory system of rats.
Çeliker M, Özgür A, Tümkaya L, Terzi S, Yılmaz M, Kalkan Y, Erdoğan E. · 2016
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation caused brain cell death in hearing centers even when hearing tests remained normal.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 2100 MHz radiofrequency radiation (similar to 3G cell phone signals) for 30 days to study effects on hearing. While the rats' hearing tests showed no functional changes, microscopic examination revealed increased cell death and degeneration in the brain areas that process sound. This suggests that cell phone radiation may damage auditory neurons even before hearing loss becomes detectable.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects brain tissue even when functional tests appear normal. The researchers used 3.47 mW power levels, which is comparable to a cell phone during a call held close to the head. What makes this research particularly significant is that it detected cellular damage in auditory processing centers before any measurable hearing impairment occurred. This pattern mirrors what we've seen in other EMF research where biological effects precede clinically obvious symptoms. The finding of increased neuronal death (apoptosis) in the cochlear nuclei suggests that prolonged cell phone use may cause cumulative damage to hearing-related brain structures. While this was an animal study, the auditory system functions similarly across mammals, making these results relevant for understanding potential human health impacts.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2100 MHz
Study Details
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of 2100MHz Global System for Mobile communication (GSM-like) electromagnetic field, generated by an electromagnetic fields generator, on the auditory system of rats by using electrophysiological, histopathologic and immunohistochemical methods.
Fourteen adult Wistar albino rats were included in the study. The rats were divided randomly into tw...
The Auditory Brainstem Responses records of the two groups did not differ significantly. The histopa...
The results support that long-term exposure to a GSM-like 2100MHz electromagnetic fields causes an increase in neuronal degeneration and apoptosis in the auditory system.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2016_effects_of_exposure_to_1960,
author = {Çeliker M and Özgür A and Tümkaya L and Terzi S and Yılmaz M and Kalkan Y and Erdoğan E.},
title = {Effects of exposure to 2100MHz GSM-like radiofrequency electromagnetic field on auditory system of rats.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27865708/},
}