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Selenium Reduces Mobile Phone (900 MHz)-Induced Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Function, and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells.

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Kahya MC, Nazıroğlu M, Ciğ B. · 2014

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Mobile phone radiation at typical use levels caused cancer cell death through oxidative stress, but selenium supplementation provided significant protection.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed breast cancer cells to 900 MHz mobile phone radiation (at levels similar to typical phone use) for one hour and found it triggered cell death through oxidative stress and damaged cellular energy centers called mitochondria. However, when cells were pre-treated with selenium (an antioxidant mineral), these harmful effects were significantly reduced. This suggests that certain nutrients might help protect cells from EMF-induced damage.

Why This Matters

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that mobile phone radiation can cause cellular damage even at exposure levels considered 'safe' by current standards. The SAR level used (0.36 W/kg) falls well within the range of typical mobile phone emissions, making these findings directly relevant to everyday use. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates a potential protective mechanism through selenium supplementation. The science demonstrates that EMF exposure triggers a cascade of cellular damage starting with oxidative stress and progressing to mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death. While this was conducted on cancer cells in a laboratory setting, the biological pathways affected are fundamental to all cellular health. The reality is that our regulatory agencies continue to rely on heating-based safety standards that ignore these non-thermal biological effects entirely.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.36 ± 0.02 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz
Exposure Duration
1 hour

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.36 ± 0.02 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Severe Concern rangeFCC limit is 80x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of 900 MHz radiation on the antioxidant redox system, apoptosis, and mitochondrial depolarization levels in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line.

Cultures of the cancer cells were divided into four main groups as controls, selenium, EMR, and EMR ...

Selenium suppressed EMR-induced oxidative cell damage and cell viability (MTT) through a reduction o...

In conclusion, 900 MHz EMR appears to induce apoptosis effects through oxidative stress and mitochondrial depolarization although incubation of selenium seems to counteract the effects on apoptosis and oxidative stress.

Cite This Study
Kahya MC, Nazıroğlu M, Ciğ B. (2014). Selenium Reduces Mobile Phone (900 MHz)-Induced Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Function, and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2014 Jun 27.
Show BibTeX
@article{mc_2014_selenium_reduces_mobile_phone_1086,
  author = {Kahya MC and Nazıroğlu M and Ciğ B.},
  title = {Selenium Reduces Mobile Phone (900 MHz)-Induced Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Function, and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24965080/},
}
PubMed: 24965080

Cited By (53 papers)

View all 53 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, selenium significantly protected breast cancer cells from 900 MHz mobile phone radiation damage. When cells were pre-treated with selenium before one-hour radiation exposure, the antioxidant mineral reduced oxidative stress, restored mitochondrial function, and prevented cell death that would otherwise occur from the electromagnetic exposure.
Research shows 900 MHz mobile phone radiation can trigger breast cancer cell death through a process called apoptosis. One-hour exposure at typical phone use levels caused oxidative stress and damaged cellular mitochondria, leading to programmed cell death in breast cancer cells during laboratory testing.
One hour of 900 MHz radiation significantly damages mitochondria in breast cancer cells by causing mitochondrial depolarization. This disrupts the cellular energy centers' normal function, contributing to oxidative stress and ultimately triggering cell death through the apoptosis pathway in laboratory conditions.
Selenium, an antioxidant mineral, effectively reduces mobile phone radiation damage to breast cancer cells. Pre-treatment with selenium before 900 MHz exposure significantly suppressed radiation-induced oxidative stress, restored mitochondrial membrane potential, and demonstrated anti-apoptotic effects in laboratory studies.
Yes, 900 MHz electromagnetic fields cause significant oxidative stress in breast cancer cells. Laboratory research found that one-hour exposure to 900 MHz radiation at typical mobile phone levels triggered oxidative cell damage and increased stress markers, though selenium supplementation could counteract these effects.