Electromagnetic fields at 2.45 GHz trigger changes in heat shock proteins 90 and 70 without altering apoptotic activity in rat thyroid gland.
Misa Agustiño MJ, Leiro JM, Jorge Mora MT, Rodríguez-González JA, Jorge Barreiro FJ, Ares-Pena FJ, López-Martín E · 2012
View Original AbstractWiFi-frequency radiation triggered cellular stress in thyroid glands at non-heating levels, challenging safety assumptions about wireless devices.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to WiFi-frequency radiation (2.45 GHz) for 30 minutes and found it triggered cellular stress responses in thyroid tissue. Heat shock proteins dropped significantly within 90 minutes, though recovered by 24 hours, demonstrating that brief microwave exposure can disrupt normal thyroid cell function.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that microwave radiation affects cellular function at power levels far below what regulators consider safe. The 2.45 GHz frequency tested is identical to what your WiFi router and microwave oven use, and the exposure levels (0.046-0.104 W/kg) are well within ranges you might encounter from wireless devices. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates measurable biological effects without any heating - contradicting the long-held assumption that non-thermal EMF exposure is harmless. The thyroid's vulnerability is especially concerning given its critical role in metabolism and hormone regulation. While the stress protein levels recovered in this acute study, we don't know what repeated daily exposures might do over months or years.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.046±1.10 , 0.104±0.00510 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 2.45 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 30 min
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To study whether electromagnetic fields at 2.45 GHz trigger changes in heat shock proteins 90 and 70 without altering apoptotic activity in rat thyroid gland
Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique, we studied levels of HSP-90 and HSP-7...
Ninety minutes after radiation, HSP-90 and HSP-70 had decreased significantly (P<0.01) after applyin...
The results suggest that acute sub-thermal radiation at 2.45 GHz may alter levels of cellular stress in rat thyroid gland without initially altering their anti-apoptotic capacity.
Show BibTeX
@article{mj_2012_electromagnetic_fields_at_245_1206,
author = {Misa Agustiño MJ and Leiro JM and Jorge Mora MT and Rodríguez-González JA and Jorge Barreiro FJ and Ares-Pena FJ and López-Martín E},
title = {Electromagnetic fields at 2.45 GHz trigger changes in heat shock proteins 90 and 70 without altering apoptotic activity in rat thyroid gland.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3507243/},
}