Exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation induces oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA in primary cultured neurons.
Xu S, Zhong M, Zhang L, Zhou Z, Zhang W, Wang Y, Wang X, Li M, Chen Y, Chen C, He M, Zhang G, Yu Z. · 2010
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at legal exposure limits damages DNA in brain cell powerhouses, potentially explaining neurological effects of EMF exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed brain neurons to cell phone radiation at 1800 MHz and found it damaged mitochondrial DNA, the genetic material in cells' energy centers. The radiation increased DNA damage markers and reduced healthy mitochondrial genes. This suggests cell phone radiation may harm brain cells' power-producing structures.
Why This Matters
This study adds crucial evidence to our understanding of how radiofrequency radiation affects the brain at the cellular level. The researchers used a SAR of 2 W/kg, which is at the legal limit for cell phones in many countries and represents realistic exposure levels during typical phone use. What makes this research particularly significant is that it identifies a specific biological pathway - mitochondrial DNA damage through oxidative stress - that could explain the neurological effects reported in numerous EMF studies. The fact that melatonin prevented the damage suggests the mechanism involves free radical formation, a well-established biological process. This finding connects the dots between EMF exposure and potential long-term brain health effects, providing biological plausibility for the cognitive and neurological symptoms reported by many people with heavy cell phone use.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 2 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz modulated by 217 Hz
Exposure Context
This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
Increasing evidence indicates that oxidative stress may be involved in the adverse effects of radiofrequency (RF) radiation on the brain. Because mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) defects are closely associated with various nervous system diseases and mtDNA is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, the purpose of this study was to determine whether radiofrequency radiation can cause oxidative damage to mtDNA.
In this study, we exposed primary cultured cortical neurons to pulsed RF electromagnetic fields at a...
At 24h after exposure, we found that RF radiation induced a significant increase in the levels of 8-...
Together, these results suggested that 1800 MHz RF radiation could cause oxidative damage to mtDNA in primary cultured neurons. Oxidative damage to mtDNA may account for the neurotoxicity of RF radiation in the brain.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2010_exposure_to_1800_mhz_11,
author = {Xu S and Zhong M and Zhang L and Zhou Z and Zhang W and Wang Y and Wang X and Li M and Chen Y and Chen C and He M and Zhang G and Yu Z.},
title = {Exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation induces oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA in primary cultured neurons.},
year = {2010},
url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899309022999},
}