Effects of 3G cell phone exposure on the structure and function of the human cytochrome P450 reductase.
Tanvir S, Thuróczy G, Selmaoui B, Pires-Antonietti VS, SonnetP, Arnaud-Cormos D, Lévêque P, Pulvin S, de Seze R. · 2016
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation altered a critical detox enzyme's structure and reduced its activity by 22%, potentially affecting drug metabolism.
Plain English Summary
French researchers exposed a key human enzyme called cytochrome P450 reductase to cell phone radiation (1966 MHz) for 60 minutes at 5 watts per kilogram. The radiation changed the enzyme's structure and reduced its activity by 22% compared to unexposed controls. This enzyme is critical for drug metabolism and detoxification in the liver, suggesting cell phone radiation could potentially interfere with how our bodies process medications and toxins.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something concerning that most people never consider: cell phone radiation may interfere with fundamental biochemical processes in our bodies. The cytochrome P450 system is responsible for metabolizing roughly 75% of all medications, as well as environmental toxins and hormones. A 22% reduction in enzyme activity isn't trivial - it could theoretically affect how quickly medications clear from your system or how efficiently your body detoxifies harmful substances. The 5 W/kg exposure level used here is 5 times higher than current safety limits, but it's worth noting that localized exposure near your phone can reach these levels during calls. While this was tested on isolated enzymes rather than living tissue, the findings add to growing evidence that RF radiation has specific biological effects beyond just heating tissue. The researchers themselves acknowledge this needs confirmation in living systems, but their precise measurements of structural changes provide compelling evidence that EMF exposure isn't as biologically inert as regulators assume.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 5 W/kg
Exposure Context
This study used 5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 12.5x 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
Cell phones increase exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Whether EMFs exert specific effects on biological systems remains debatable. This study investigated the effect of cell phone exposure on the structure and function of human NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR).
Human CPR was exposed for 60min to 1966-MHz RF inside a transverse electromagnetic cell (TEM-cell) p...
These showed that CPR was narrowed. By using cytochrome C reductase activity to assess the electron ...
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2016_effects_of_3g_cell_1351,
author = {Tanvir S and Thuróczy G and Selmaoui B and Pires-Antonietti VS and SonnetP and Arnaud-Cormos D and Lévêque P and Pulvin S and de Seze R.},
title = {Effects of 3G cell phone exposure on the structure and function of the human cytochrome P450 reductase.},
year = {2016},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27243445/},
}