Effect of 900-, 1800-, and 2100-MHz radiofrequency radiation on DNA and oxidative stress in brain
Alkis ME, Bilgin HM, Akpolat V, Dasdag S, Yegin K, Yavas MC, Akdag MZ · 2019
View Original AbstractSix months of cell phone radiation exposure caused DNA damage and oxidative stress in rat brains at levels below current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
Turkish researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation at three different frequencies (900, 1800, and 2100 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 6 months to study brain effects. They found increased DNA damage and oxidative stress in brain tissue across all frequency groups compared to unexposed control rats. This suggests that chronic exposure to the radiofrequency radiation emitted by mobile phones may harm brain cells at the genetic level.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing biological effects from radiofrequency radiation at levels well below current safety standards. The SAR levels used (0.0845 W/kg for 900 MHz) are actually lower than the legal limit for cell phones in many countries, yet still produced measurable DNA damage and oxidative stress in brain tissue after chronic exposure. What makes this research particularly significant is that it tested multiple frequencies commonly used by mobile networks and found harmful effects across all of them. The 6-month exposure duration also more closely mimics real-world usage patterns than short-term studies. The finding of DNA single-strand breaks at 2100 MHz is especially concerning, as this type of genetic damage can potentially lead to cellular dysfunction and disease over time.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.0845 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 6 months
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to explore whether long-term RFR exposure at different frequencies affects DNA damage and oxidant-antioxidant parameters in the blood and brain tissue of rats.
28 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four equal groups (n = 7). They were identifi...
Results of the study showed that DNA damage and oxidative stress indicators were found higher in the...
In conclusion, 900-, 1800-, and 2100-MHz RFR emitted from mobile phones may cause oxidative damage, induce increase in lipid peroxidation, and increase oxidative DNA damage formation in the frontal lobe of the rat brain tissues. Furthermore, 2100-MHz RFR may cause formation of DNA single-strand breaks.
Show BibTeX
@article{me_2019_effect_of_900_1800_506,
author = {Alkis ME and Bilgin HM and Akpolat V and Dasdag S and Yegin K and Yavas MC and Akdag MZ},
title = {Effect of 900-, 1800-, and 2100-MHz radiofrequency radiation on DNA and oxidative stress in brain},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1080/15368378.2019.1567526},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15368378.2019.1567526},
}