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Calcium homeostasis of isolated heart muscle cells exposed to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields.

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Wolke S, Neibig U, Elsner R, Gollnick F, Meyer R, · 1996

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Heart muscle cells showed minimal calcium disruption from cell phone frequencies at extremely low exposure levels, but real-world exposures are typically much higher.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers exposed guinea pig heart cells to cell phone radiation frequencies (900-1,800 MHz) and measured calcium levels, which are crucial for heart function. They found essentially no significant effects on cellular calcium balance, suggesting low-level RF exposure may not disrupt basic heart cell signaling.

Why This Matters

This 1996 study provides important cellular-level data on how radiofrequency radiation affects heart muscle function. The researchers used extremely low SAR levels (around 1 mW/kg), which are roughly 100 times lower than current cell phone exposure limits. While they found virtually no effects on calcium homeostasis in heart cells, this represents just one piece of a much larger puzzle. The science demonstrates that cellular calcium regulation is fundamental to heart rhythm and muscle contraction, so any disruption could potentially affect cardiovascular health. What this means for you is that while this particular study found minimal effects at very low exposures, it doesn't address the cumulative effects of chronic exposure or higher intensity fields that occur with device use close to the body.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.001 W/kg
Source/Device
900, 1,300, and 1,800 MHz pulse modulated at 217Hz

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: 0.001 W/kgExtreme Concern0.1 W/kgFCC Limit1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Slight Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 1,600x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i) of isolated ventricular cardiac myocytes of the guinea pig was measured during the application of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields.

The high-frequency fields were applied in a transverse electromagnetic cell designed to allow micros...

The chemical stimulation (K+ -depolarization) indicated the viability of the cells. The K+ depolariz...

Cite This Study
Wolke S, Neibig U, Elsner R, Gollnick F, Meyer R, (1996). Calcium homeostasis of isolated heart muscle cells exposed to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics 17(2):144-153, 1996.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_1996_calcium_homeostasis_of_isolated_1434,
  author = {Wolke S and Neibig U and Elsner R and Gollnick F and Meyer R and},
  title = {Calcium homeostasis of isolated heart muscle cells exposed to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields.},
  year = {1996},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8860732/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

German researchers exposed guinea pig heart cells to cell phone radiation frequencies (900-1,800 MHz) and measured calcium levels, which are crucial for heart function. They found essentially no significant effects on cellular calcium balance, suggesting low-level RF exposure may not disrupt basic heart cell signaling.