Effect of chronic intermittent exposure to AM radiofrequency field on responses to various types of noxious stimuli in growing rats.
Mathur R · 2008
View Original AbstractChronic RF exposure during development altered pain processing in rats at 0.4 W/kg SAR, suggesting developing nervous systems are vulnerable.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed growing rats to AM radio frequency fields (similar to some communication systems) for 2 hours daily over 45 days and tested their pain responses. The exposed rats showed altered pain processing - they became more emotionally reactive to short-term pain but less sensitive to long-term pain. This suggests that chronic RF exposure during development can rewire how the nervous system processes different types of pain signals.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something particularly concerning about EMF exposure during development: it doesn't just affect pain sensitivity, it fundamentally alters how the developing nervous system processes pain signals. The rats were exposed to 73.5 MHz amplitude-modulated RF at 0.4 W/kg SAR - a level within the range of some wireless communication devices. What makes this research significant is that it demonstrates differential effects on pain processing mechanisms, with increased emotional reactivity to acute pain alongside decreased sensitivity to chronic pain. This suggests EMF exposure during critical developmental periods may create lasting changes in neurological function. The science demonstrates that even relatively low-level chronic exposures can alter fundamental nervous system responses. What this means for you is that the developing brain appears particularly vulnerable to RF field effects, adding to the growing body of evidence that children may face greater risks from wireless technology exposure than adults.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.4 W/kg
- Power Density
- 1.33 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 73.5 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 45 days
Exposure Context
This study used 1.33 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 133Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 2.2Mx 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 study nociceptive responses to different noxious stimuli in growing rats exposed to a chronic intermittent radiofrequency field
We studied the pattern of nociceptive responses to various noxious stimuli in growing rats exposed t...
The TFL was not affected, HPL was decreased (p < 0.01), and the thresholds of TF and VD were not af...
The data suggest that amplitude modulated RF field differentially affects the mechanisms involved in the processing of various noxious stimuli.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2008_effect_of_chronic_intermittent_1193,
author = {Mathur R},
title = {Effect of chronic intermittent exposure to AM radiofrequency field on responses to various types of noxious stimuli in growing rats.},
year = {2008},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18821202/},
}