Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Twenty four- hour exposure to a 0.12 THz electromagnetic field does not affect the genotoxicity, morphological changes, or expression of heat shock protein in HCE-T cells
No Effects Found
Koyama S, Narita E, Shimizu Y, Shiina T, Taki M, Shinohara N, et al. · 2016
24-hour exposure to 0.12 THz terahertz radiation showed no DNA damage or cellular stress in human eye cells.
Plain English Summary
Summary written for general audiences
Researchers exposed human eye cells to terahertz radiation (0.12 THz frequency) for 24 hours to test for cellular damage. The study found no DNA damage, cell structure changes, or stress protein production compared to unexposed control cells. This suggests terahertz frequencies at this power level may not cause immediate cellular harm.
Exposure Information
Cite This Study
Koyama S, Narita E, Shimizu Y, Shiina T, Taki M, Shinohara N, et al. (2016). Twenty four- hour exposure to a 0.12 THz electromagnetic field does not affect the genotoxicity, morphological changes, or expression of heat shock protein in HCE-T cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{twenty_four_hour_exposure_to_a_012_thz_electromagnetic_field_does_not_affect_the_genotoxicity_morphological_changes_or_expression_of_heat_shock_protein_in_hce_t_cells_ce2869,
author = {Koyama S and Narita E and Shimizu Y and Shiina T and Taki M and Shinohara N and et al.},
title = {Twenty four- hour exposure to a 0.12 THz electromagnetic field does not affect the genotoxicity, morphological changes, or expression of heat shock protein in HCE-T cells},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3390/ijerph13080793},
}Quick Questions About This Study
No, this study found no DNA damage, morphological changes, or stress protein expression in human corneal epithelial cells after 24 hours of 0.12 THz exposure at 5 mW/cm², suggesting no immediate cellular harm at this frequency and power level.
The human corneal epithelial cells were continuously exposed to 0.12 THz terahertz radiation for 24 hours straight, which represents an extremely long exposure duration far exceeding typical real-world terahertz encounters from security scanners or medical devices.
Researchers examined three key indicators: micronucleus formation (DNA damage), morphological changes (cell structure alterations), and heat shock protein expression (Hsp27, Hsp70, Hsp90α), which are standard markers for detecting cellular stress and damage.
No, 0.12 THz (120 gigahertz) is much higher frequency than cell phone radiation, which typically operates between 0.7-5 GHz. Terahertz waves sit between microwave and infrared radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum, with different biological interaction properties.
The study used 5 mW/cm² power density, which is considered relatively low. For comparison, this is below typical microwave oven leakage limits and represents conservative exposure levels that might be encountered from terahertz security scanners or medical imaging equipment.