The effect of mobile phone on the number of Purkinje cells: a stereological study
Rağbetli MC, Aydinlioğlu A, Koyun N, Rağbetli C, Bektas S, Ozdemir S · 2010
View Original AbstractMobile phone radiation at typical call levels reduced crucial brain cells in developing mice, suggesting prenatal EMF exposure may impact normal brain development.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pregnant mice to cell phone radiation at levels similar to what phones emit during calls (0.95 W/kg SAR) and examined brain development in their offspring. They found a significant decrease in Purkinje cells, which are crucial neurons in the cerebellum that control movement and coordination. This suggests that prenatal exposure to mobile phone radiation may affect normal brain development.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that EMF exposure during critical developmental periods can alter brain structure. The 0.95 W/kg SAR level used here falls within the range of typical cell phone emissions during calls, making these findings directly relevant to human exposure scenarios. Purkinje cells are among the largest neurons in the brain and play essential roles in motor control and learning. The fact that researchers found measurable changes in these critical brain cells at everyday exposure levels should give us pause. While this is an animal study, the developing brain's vulnerability to EMF exposure has been demonstrated across multiple species and research groups. The authors' call for further research is warranted, but the precautionary principle suggests we shouldn't wait for absolute certainty before taking steps to minimize EMF exposure during pregnancy and early development.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.95 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 890–915 MHz Mobile Phone
Exposure Context
This study used 0.95 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 2.4x 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
The present study investigated the effect of exposure to mobile phone on the number of Purkinje and granule neurons in the developing cerebellum.
Male and female Swiss albino mice were housed as control and mobile phone-exposed groups. Pregnant a...
A significant decrease in the number of Purkinje cells and a tendency for granule cells to increase ...
Further studies in this area are needed due to the popular use of mobile telephones and relatively high exposure on developing brain.
Show BibTeX
@article{mc_2010_the_effect_of_mobile_172,
author = {Rağbetli MC and Aydinlioğlu A and Koyun N and Rağbetli C and Bektas S and Ozdemir S},
title = {The effect of mobile phone on the number of Purkinje cells: a stereological study},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.3109/09553001003734527},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553001003734527},
}