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Effects of 900 MHz Radiofrequency Radiation on Skin Hydroxyproline Contents.

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Cam ST, Seyhan N, Kavaklı C, Celikbıçak O. · 2014

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Cell phone radiation below safety limits altered skin protein levels in rats, suggesting tissue stress responses occur at everyday exposure levels.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation for 20 minutes daily over three weeks. They found increased hydroxyproline levels in skin tissue, indicating biological changes from electromagnetic exposure. The radiation levels were below current safety limits, suggesting legally compliant phone use may still affect skin.

Why This Matters

This study adds to mounting evidence that radiofrequency radiation affects biological systems at exposure levels regulators consider safe. The finding that GSM phone-like radiation altered hydroxyproline levels in skin tissue is particularly significant because hydroxyproline is a key marker of collagen metabolism and tissue remodeling. When hydroxyproline increases, it often signals the body is responding to stress or damage by rebuilding tissue structure. What makes this research especially relevant is that skin receives the highest radiation dose when you hold a phone to your head or carry it in your pocket. The SAR level used (1.35 W/kg) is well below the 2.0 W/kg limit in most countries, yet still produced measurable biological changes. This challenges the assumption that current safety standards adequately protect human health, particularly with chronic daily exposure that most of us experience.

Exposure Details

SAR
1.35 W/kg
Source/Device
900 MHz, pulsed with 217 Hz
Exposure Duration
20 min/day for 3 weeks

Exposure Context

This study used 1.35 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):

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

Study Details

The present study aimed to investigate the possible effect of pulse-modulated radiofrequency radiation (RFR) on rat skin hydroxyproline content, since skin is the first target of external electromagnetic fields.

Skin hydroxyproline content was measured using liquid chromatography mass spectrometer method. Two m...

The data indicated that whole body exposure to a pulse-modulated RF radiation that is similar to tha...

Cite This Study
Cam ST, Seyhan N, Kavaklı C, Celikbıçak O. (2014). Effects of 900 MHz Radiofrequency Radiation on Skin Hydroxyproline Contents. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2014 Sep;70(1):643-9. doi: 10.1007/s12013-014-9968-6. PMID: 24760629.
Show BibTeX
@article{st_2014_effects_of_900_mhz_886,
  author = {Cam ST and Seyhan N and Kavaklı C and Celikbıçak O.},
  title = {Effects of 900 MHz Radiofrequency Radiation on Skin Hydroxyproline Contents.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24760629/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to cell phone radiation for 20 minutes daily over three weeks. They found increased hydroxyproline levels in skin tissue, indicating biological changes from electromagnetic exposure. The radiation levels were below current safety limits, suggesting legally compliant phone use may still affect skin.