[Effect of vitamin E on morphological variation of retinal ganglion cells after microwave radiation].
Yang R, Chen J, Deng Z, Liu X, · 2001
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at 30 mW/cm² damaged eye nerve cells and caused cell death, with vitamin E providing partial protection.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed pig retinal ganglion cells (nerve cells in the eye that transmit visual information to the brain) to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz for one hour and observed significant cellular damage including cell death, swollen cellular structures, and disappeared nerve fibers. When vitamin E was added to the cell cultures, it provided partial protection against this microwave-induced damage, though some cellular changes still occurred.
Why This Matters
This study demonstrates that microwave radiation at 2450 MHz - the same frequency used in microwave ovens and some older WiFi devices - can damage critical nerve cells in the eye at power levels of 30 mW/cm². What makes this research particularly significant is that retinal ganglion cells are essential for vision, and their damage can lead to vision problems or blindness. The power density used in this study is substantially higher than typical consumer device exposures, but it's within the range of some medical devices and industrial applications. The finding that vitamin E provided partial protection suggests the damage occurs through oxidative stress mechanisms, which aligns with a growing body of research showing EMF exposure can trigger harmful cellular processes. While this was a laboratory study using isolated cells rather than whole organisms, it adds to the evidence that microwave radiation can cause biological effects at the cellular level, particularly in sensitive nervous system tissues.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 30 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2450 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 Hour
Exposure Context
This study used 30 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 3,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 50Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To determine the morphological variation in the primary cultured pig retinal ganglion cells induced by microwave and the protection of VE can supply some experiment foundation for study of effect of microwave and its protection.
Retinal ganglion cells of pig were cultured in vitro and added VE of different concentration, Each g...
The result showed that a portion of cells congregated, with their axon disappeared after radiation. ...
The results showed that microwave induced the morphological damage in primary cultured retinal ganglion cells, VE could reduced the damage of retina ganglion cells by microwave in some extent.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2001_effect_of_vitamin_e_1445,
author = {Yang R and Chen J and Deng Z and Liu X and},
title = {[Effect of vitamin E on morphological variation of retinal ganglion cells after microwave radiation].},
year = {2001},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11255758/},
}