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Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent.

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Nylund R, Leszczynski D. · 2006

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Mobile phone radiation alters gene and protein expression in blood vessel cells, with responses varying by genetic makeup.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed human blood vessel cells to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz GSM) for one hour at 2.8 W/kg and found it altered both gene and protein activity. Importantly, two different variants of the same cell type responded differently to the same radiation exposure, suggesting that cellular response depends on specific genetic makeup. This finding helps explain why EMF studies sometimes produce conflicting results between different laboratories.

Why This Matters

This study provides crucial insight into why EMF research can seem contradictory. The science demonstrates that even genetically similar cells respond differently to the same mobile phone radiation exposure, which helps explain the variability we see across studies. The 2.8 W/kg exposure level used here is significant because it's above the current regulatory limit of 2.0 W/kg for mobile phones in many countries, yet still within the range of what some devices can produce during peak usage. What this means for you is that the biological effects of EMF exposure aren't uniform across all people or even all cell types within the same person. The reality is that your individual cellular response to EMF may depend on your unique genetic makeup, which makes the precautionary principle even more important when it comes to limiting unnecessary exposure.

Exposure Details

SAR
2.8 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz GSM mobile
Exposure Duration
1h

Exposure Context

This study used 2.8 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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 Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 2.8 W/kgExtreme Concern0.1 W/kgFCC Limit1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 1x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

To study the effects of Mobile phone radiation that causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome‐ and proteome‐dependent.

We have examined in vitro cell response to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz GSM signal) using two var...

Obtained results show that gene and protein expression were altered, in both examined cell lines, in...

Therefore, it is likely that different types of cells and from different species might respond differently to mobile phone radiation or might have different sensitivity to this weak stimulus. Our findings might also explain, at least in part, the origin of discrepancies in replication studies between different laboratories.

Cite This Study
Nylund R, Leszczynski D. (2006). Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent. Proteomics 6:4769-4780, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2006_mobile_phone_radiation_causes_32,
  author = {Nylund R and Leszczynski D.},
  title = {Mobile phone radiation causes changes in gene and protein expression in human endothelial cell lines and the response seems to be genome- and proteome-dependent.},
  year = {2006},
  doi = {10.1002/pmic.200600076},
  url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pmic.200600076/full},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed human blood vessel cells to mobile phone radiation (900 MHz GSM) for one hour at 2.8 W/kg and found it altered both gene and protein activity. Importantly, two different variants of the same cell type responded differently to the same radiation exposure, suggesting that cellular response depends on specific genetic makeup. This finding helps explain why EMF studies sometimes produce conflicting results between different laboratories.