Pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induces hypothyroidism and apoptosis in thyroid cells: A light, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical study.
Eşmekaya MA, Seyhan N, Omeroğlu S. · 2010
View Original AbstractCell phone-level radiation caused thyroid shrinkage and hormone disruption in rats after just three weeks of 20-minute daily exposures.
Plain English Summary
Turkish researchers exposed rats to cell phone-like radiation (900 MHz) for 20 minutes daily over three weeks and found significant damage to thyroid glands. The radiation caused thyroid shrinkage, reduced hormone production, and triggered cell death through a process called apoptosis. This suggests that regular exposure to mobile phone radiation could potentially disrupt thyroid function, which controls metabolism and many other vital body processes.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to concerns about EMF effects on endocrine function, particularly the thyroid gland that regulates metabolism, growth, and development. The exposure level of 1.35 W/kg falls within the range of typical cell phone use, making these findings directly relevant to daily EMF exposure from mobile devices held near the body. The researchers used multiple analysis methods including electron microscopy and biochemical markers, strengthening confidence in their results. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates both structural damage to thyroid tissue and disruption of normal hormone production at exposure levels millions of people experience regularly. The thyroid's location in the neck makes it especially vulnerable to radiation from phones held to the ear or carried in shirt pockets.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.35 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 20 min/day for three weeks.
Exposure Context
This study used 1.35 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3.4x 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
In the present study we investigated the possible histopathological effects of pulse modulated Radiofrequency (RF) fields on the thyroid gland using light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical methods
Two months old male Wistar rats were exposed to a 900 MHz pulse-modulated RF radiation at a specific...
Morphological analyses revealed hypothyrophy of the gland in the 900 MHz RF exposure group. The resu...
The overall findings indicated that whole body exposure to pulse-modulated RF radiation that is similar to that emitted by global system for mobile communications (GSM) mobile phones can cause pathological changes in the thyroid gland by altering the gland structure and enhancing caspase-dependent pathways of apoptosis.
Show BibTeX
@article{ma_2010_pulse_modulated_900_mhz_962,
author = {Eşmekaya MA and Seyhan N and Omeroğlu S.},
title = {Pulse modulated 900 MHz radiation induces hypothyroidism and apoptosis in thyroid cells: A light, electron microscopy and immunohistochemical study.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20807179/},
}