[Blocking 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation-induced reactive oxygen species production and DNA damage in lens epithelial cells by noise magnetic fields].
Wu W, Yao K, Wang KJ, Lu DQ, He JL, Xu LH, Sun WJ. · 2008
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation damaged eye cells at twice the legal limit, but adding electromagnetic 'noise' completely prevented the damage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human eye lens cells to cell phone radiation at 4 watts per kilogram for 24 hours and found it caused significant DNA damage and increased harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. However, when they added electromagnetic 'noise' (random magnetic fields) during the exposure, it completely blocked these harmful effects. This suggests that certain types of electromagnetic interference might actually protect cells from radiation damage.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a fascinating paradox in EMF research: while cell phone radiation at 4 W/kg caused clear cellular damage to human eye lens cells, adding electromagnetic noise completely prevented these effects. The 4 W/kg exposure level is double the current SAR limit for cell phones, making this highly relevant to real-world exposures. What makes this research particularly intriguing is its suggestion that the biological effects of EMF may depend not just on power levels, but on the specific characteristics of the signal itself. The protective effect of 'noise' fields challenges our understanding of how electromagnetic fields interact with living tissue and suggests that coherent, organized signals may be more biologically active than random ones. This finding adds another layer of complexity to EMF health research and underscores why we need more nuanced approaches to understanding electromagnetic bioeffects rather than simply focusing on power levels alone.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 4 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 1800 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 24 h intermittently
Exposure Context
This study used 4 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 10x 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
To investigate whether the exposure to the electromagnetic noise can block reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA damage of lens epithelial cells induced by 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation.
The DCFH-DA method and comet assay were used respectively to detect the intracellular ROS and DNA da...
1800 MHz mobile phone radiation at 4 W/kg for 24 h increased intracellular ROS and DNA damage signif...
Electromagnetic noise can block intracellular ROS production and DNA damage of human lens epithelial cells induced by 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation.
Show BibTeX
@article{w_2008_blocking_1800_mhz_mobile_578,
author = {Wu W and Yao K and Wang KJ and Lu DQ and He JL and Xu LH and Sun WJ.},
title = {[Blocking 1800 MHz mobile phone radiation-induced reactive oxygen species production and DNA damage in lens epithelial cells by noise magnetic fields].},
year = {2008},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/med/18275117},
}