Effect of low level microwave radiation exposure on cognitive function and oxidative stress in rats
Deshmukh PS, Banerjee BD, Abegaonkar MP, Megha K, Ahmed RS, Tripathi AK, Mediratta PK · 2013
View Original AbstractExtremely low cell phone radiation impaired memory and caused cellular damage at levels 20,000 times below current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to extremely low-level cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 30 days and found significant damage to memory and learning abilities. The study also detected increased oxidative stress in the blood, indicating cellular damage from free radicals. This matters because the radiation level used was far below current safety limits, yet still produced measurable biological effects.
Why This Matters
This study delivers a crucial finding in the EMF health debate: even extraordinarily low levels of microwave radiation can impair cognitive function and trigger oxidative stress. The specific absorption rate (SAR) used was 0.000084738 W/kg, which is roughly 20,000 times lower than current FCC safety limits for cell phones. Put simply, if radiation at this minimal level can damage memory and learning in laboratory animals, what does that tell us about the billions of people exposed to much higher levels daily? The research demonstrates that biological effects occur at power levels once considered completely harmless. The oxidative stress findings are particularly significant because they point to a plausible mechanism for how RF radiation causes cellular damage. This adds to the growing body of independent research showing that our current safety standards, based solely on heating effects, are inadequate for protecting public health.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.000084738 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz MW
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day, 5 days a week for 30 days
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of 900 MHz MW radiation exposure on cognitive function and oxidative stress in blood of Fischer rats.
Animals were divided into two groups (6 animals/group): Group I (MW-exposed) and Group II (Sham-expo...
Results showed significant impairment in cognitive function and increase in oxidative stress, as evi...
Thus, the study demonstrated that low level MW radiation had significant effect on cognitive function and was also capable of leading to oxidative stress.
Show BibTeX
@article{ps_2013_effect_of_low_level_91,
author = {Deshmukh PS and Banerjee BD and Abegaonkar MP and Megha K and Ahmed RS and Tripathi AK and Mediratta PK},
title = {Effect of low level microwave radiation exposure on cognitive function and oxidative stress in rats},
year = {2013},
url = {http://nopr.niscair.res.in/handle/123456789/17108},
}