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Reproductive Health

Effect of in utero wi-fi exposure on the pre- and postnatal development of rats.

No Effects Found

Poulletier de Gannes F, Haro E, Hurtier A, Taxile M, Athane A, Ait-Aissa S, Masuda H, Percherncier Y, Ruffié G, Billaudel B, Dufour P, Veyret B, Lagroye I. · 2012

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The study found no abnormalities in pregnant rats and no significant signs of toxicity in pre- and postnatal development of pups exposed in utero to a 2450 MHz Wi-Fi signal at up to 4 W/kg.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed pregnant rats to a 2450 MHz Wi-Fi signal for 2 hours per day, 6 days per week, for 18 days at whole-body specific absorption rates of 0.08, 0.4, and 4 W/kg. The prenatal study examined fetuses delivered by caesarean section from five females per group, and dams with offspring were observed for 28 days after delivery with 15 females per group. No abnormalities were noted in pregnant rats and no significant signs of toxicity were observed in pre- and postnatal development of pups, even at the highest exposure level of 4 W/kg.

Why This Matters

The authors described the study as a screening study aimed at investigating Wi-Fi effects. The researchers reported no teratogenic effect of repeated Wi-Fi exposures even at the highest level of 4 W/kg. The results strengthen previous conclusions that teratology and development studies have not detected noxious effects of mobile telephony-related RF fields below standard limits.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.08, 0.4, and 4 W/kg
Source/Device
2450 MHz
Exposure Duration
2 hr/day, 6 days/week for 18 days

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.08, 0.4, and 4 W/kgExtreme Concern - 0.1 W/kgFCC Limit - 1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Severe Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 20 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 2.45 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 2.45 GHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The increase in exposure to the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) wireless communication signal has raised public health concerns especially for young people. Animal studies looking at the effects of early life and prenatal exposure to this source of electromagnetic fields, in the radiofrequency (RF) range, on development and behavior have been considered as high priority research needs by the World Health Organization.

For the first time, our study assessed the effects of in utero exposure to a 2450 MHz Wi-Fi signal (...

For all test conditions, no abnormalities were noted in the pregnant rats and no significant signs o...

In the present study, no teratogenic effect of repeated exposures to the Wi-Fi wireless communication signal was demonstrated even at the highest level of 4 W/kg. The results from this screening study aimed at investigating Wi-Fi effects, strengthen the previous conclusions that teratology and development studies have not detected any noxious effects of exposures to mobile telephony-related RF fields at exposure levels below standard limits.

Cite This Study
Poulletier de Gannes F, Haro E, Hurtier A, Taxile M, Athane A, Ait-Aissa S, Masuda H, Percherncier Y, Ruffié G, Billaudel B, Dufour P, Veyret B, Lagroye I. (2012). Effect of in utero wi-fi exposure on the pre- and postnatal development of rats. Birth Defects Res B Dev Reprod Toxicol. 95(2):130-136, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2012_effect_of_in_utero_3309,
  author = {Poulletier de Gannes F and Haro E and Hurtier A and Taxile M and Athane A and Ait-Aissa S and Masuda H and Percherncier Y and Ruffié G and Billaudel B and Dufour P and Veyret B and Lagroye I.},
  title = {Effect of in utero wi-fi exposure on the pre- and postnatal development of rats.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22311618/},
}
PubMed: 22311618

Cited By (50 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

The study used whole-body specific absorption rates of 0.08, 0.4, and 4 W/kg.
Pregnant rats were exposed for 2 hours per day, 6 days per week, for 18 days.
No abnormalities were noted in pregnant rats and no significant signs of toxicity were observed in pre- and postnatal development of pups, even at the highest exposure level of 4 W/kg.
The study demonstrated no teratogenic effect of repeated Wi-Fi exposures even at the highest level of 4 W/kg.
Fetuses were delivered by caesarean section from five females per group, and dams with offspring were observed for 28 days after delivery with 15 females per group.