Metabolomic study of urinary polyamines in rat exposed to 915 MHz radiofrequency identification signal.
Paik MJ, Kim HS, Lee YS, Do Choi H, Pack JK, Kim N, Ahn YH · 2016
View Original AbstractRFID-frequency radiation altered cellular metabolism in rats by 54%, suggesting everyday RF devices may disrupt fundamental biological processes.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 915 MHz radiofrequency signals (like those from RFID tags) for 8 hours daily over 2 weeks and analyzed chemical changes in their urine. They found significant alterations in polyamines, which are molecules involved in cellular metabolism and growth. The RF-exposed rats showed a 54% increase in one specific polyamine compared to just 17% in control animals, suggesting the radiofrequency exposure disrupted normal cellular processes.
Why This Matters
This study adds to growing evidence that radiofrequency radiation can trigger measurable biological changes even when researchers don't specify exact exposure levels. The 915 MHz frequency studied here is commonly used in RFID systems found in inventory tracking, access cards, and some consumer devices. What makes this research particularly noteworthy is its focus on metabolic disruption rather than the more commonly studied effects like DNA damage or oxidative stress. The dramatic 54% increase in N(1)-acetylspermine suggests RF exposure may interfere with fundamental cellular processes that regulate growth and metabolism. While we need more research to understand the long-term health implications, this study demonstrates that our bodies respond to RF exposure in ways we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 915 MHz Duration: 8 h/day for 2 weeks
Study Details
To evaluate metabolomic study of urinary polyamines in rat exposed to 915 MHz radiofrequency identification signal
Metabolomic analysis of urinary polyamines (PAs) from rat exposed to 915 MHz radiofrequency identifi...
Large alterations in nine PA levels including four aliphatic and five acetylated PAs were monitored ...
The results suggest that 915 MHz RFID exposure may induce metabolic disturbance of PA. It may also elevate spermidine/spermine acetyltransferase (SSAT) activity. Thus, the present metabolic profiling combined with star pattern recognition method might be useful for understanding the complexity of biochemical events after exposure to RFID signal.
Show BibTeX
@article{mj_2016_metabolomic_study_of_urinary_2504,
author = {Paik MJ and Kim HS and Lee YS and Do Choi H and Pack JK and Kim N and Ahn YH},
title = {Metabolomic study of urinary polyamines in rat exposed to 915 MHz radiofrequency identification signal.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26319644/},
}