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2.45-GHz microwave irradiation adversely affects reproductive function in male mouse, Mus musculus by inducing oxidative and nitrosative stress.

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Shahin S, Mishra V, Singh SP, Chaturvedi CM · 2014

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Male mice exposed to Wi-Fi-frequency radiation at 1/80th of safety limits showed reduced sperm count and testosterone after just 30 days.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed male mice to 2.45-GHz microwave radiation (the same frequency used by Wi-Fi and microwaves) for 2 hours daily over 30 days at very low power levels. The exposed mice showed significant decreases in sperm count and viability, reduced testosterone levels, and damaged reproductive tissue. The study suggests these effects occur through oxidative stress, where radiation generates harmful free radicals that damage cells.

Why This Matters

This study adds to mounting evidence that chronic microwave exposure can harm male fertility, even at power levels far below current safety standards. The 0.018 W/kg SAR used here is roughly 80 times lower than the FCC limit of 1.6 W/kg, yet still produced measurable reproductive damage after just 30 days of exposure. What makes this research particularly relevant is the 2.45-GHz frequency, which is identical to Wi-Fi routers and microwave ovens that surround us daily. The researchers identified oxidative stress as the likely mechanism, meaning the radiation generates free radicals that damage sperm cells and hormone-producing tissue. This finding aligns with dozens of other studies showing similar reproductive effects from RF radiation. The reality is that men today carry phones in their pockets and work surrounded by wireless devices emitting these same frequencies for hours each day.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.018 W/kg
Power Density
0.029812 µW/m²
Source/Device
2.45-GHz
Exposure Duration
2 h/day for 30 days

Exposure Context

This study used 0.029812 µW/m² for radio frequency:

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: 0.029812 µW/m²Extreme Concern1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit10M uW/m2Effects observed in the No Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 335,435,395x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

Electromagnetic radiations are reported to produce long-term and short-term biological effects, which are of great concern to human health due to increasing use of devices emitting EMR especially microwave (MW) radiation in our daily life. In view of the unavoidable use of MW emitting devices (microwaves oven, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, etc.) and their harmful effects on biological system, it was thought worthwhile to investigate the long-term effects of low-level MW irradiation on the reproductive function of male Swiss strain mice and its mechanism of action.

Twelve-week-old mice were exposed to non-thermal low-level 2.45-GHz MW radiation (CW for 2 h/day for...

We observed that MW irradiation induced a significant decrease in sperm count and sperm viability al...

Further, these adverse reproductive effects suggest that chronic exposure to nonionizing MW radiation may lead to infertility via free radical species-mediated pathway.

Cite This Study
Shahin S, Mishra V, Singh SP, Chaturvedi CM (2014). 2.45-GHz microwave irradiation adversely affects reproductive function in male mouse, Mus musculus by inducing oxidative and nitrosative stress. Free Radic Res. 48(5):511-525, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2014_245ghz_microwave_irradiation_adversely_1323,
  author = {Shahin S and Mishra V and Singh SP and Chaturvedi CM},
  title = {2.45-GHz microwave irradiation adversely affects reproductive function in male mouse, Mus musculus by inducing oxidative and nitrosative stress.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24490664/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed male mice to 2.45-GHz microwave radiation (the same frequency used by Wi-Fi and microwaves) for 2 hours daily over 30 days at very low power levels. The exposed mice showed significant decreases in sperm count and viability, reduced testosterone levels, and damaged reproductive tissue. The study suggests these effects occur through oxidative stress, where radiation generates harmful free radicals that damage cells.