Effects of electromagnetic fields produced by radiotelevision broadcasting stations on the immune system of women.
Boscol P, Di Sciascio MB, D'Ostilio S, Del Signore A, Reale M, Conti P, Bavazzano P, Paganelli R, Di Gioacchino M. · 2001
View Original AbstractLong-term exposure to radiofrequency fields from broadcasting stations significantly weakened women's immune defenses at levels commonly encountered today.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied 19 women living near radio and TV towers for 13 years, comparing their immune systems to unexposed women. Those with higher radiofrequency exposure showed significantly reduced natural killer cells and weakened immune responses, suggesting broadcast tower radiation may compromise immune defenses.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields can suppress immune function in real-world exposure scenarios. The exposure levels measured (4.3 V/m) are well within what many people experience daily from cell towers, WiFi, and other wireless sources, making these findings directly relevant to modern life. What makes this research particularly significant is that it controlled for other environmental factors like air pollution, showing that the immune effects were specifically linked to EMF exposure. The science demonstrates that our immune system, which protects us from infections and cancer, can be compromised by the very technologies we use every day. While more research is needed to fully understand the long-term health implications, this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing that EMF exposure affects fundamental biological processes at levels regulators currently consider safe.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- < 1.8 V/m, 4.3 +/- 1.4
- Source/Device
- 500 KHz-3 GHz
Exposure Context
This study used < 1.8 V/m, 4.3 +/- 1.4 for electric fields:
- 4.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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.
Study Details
The object of this study was to investigate the immune system of 19 women with a mean age of 35 years, for at least 2 years (mean = 13 years) exposed to electromagnetic fields (ELMFs) induced by radiotelevision broadcasting stations in their residential area.
In September 1999, the ELMFs (with range 500 KHz-3 GHz) in the balconies of the homes of the women w...
Blood lead and urinary trans-trans muconic acid (a metabolite of benzene), markers of exposure to ur...
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that high frequency ELMFs reduce cytotoxic activity in the peripheral blood of women without a dose-response effect.
Show BibTeX
@article{p_2001_effects_of_electromagnetic_fields_872,
author = {Boscol P and Di Sciascio MB and D'Ostilio S and Del Signore A and Reale M and Conti P and Bavazzano P and Paganelli R and Di Gioacchino M.},
title = {Effects of electromagnetic fields produced by radiotelevision broadcasting stations on the immune system of women.},
year = {2001},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11419593/},
}