The microarray study on the stress gene transcription profile in human retina pigment epithelial cells exposed to microwave radiation.
Liu X, Shen H, Shi Y, Chen J, Chen Y, Ji A. · 2002
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation at WiFi frequencies triggers stress genes in human eye cells beyond what heat alone causes.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human eye cells (retinal pigment epithelial cells) to 2450 MHz microwave radiation - the same frequency used in WiFi and microwave ovens - and compared the results to cells heated with hot water. The microwave-exposed cells showed activation of seven genes related to cellular stress and programmed cell death, with increases ranging from 2.07 to 3.68 times normal levels. This suggests microwave radiation triggers unique biological responses beyond just heating effects.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation produces biological effects that cannot be explained by heating alone. The researchers specifically compared microwave exposure to heat exposure to isolate non-thermal effects - a critical distinction often overlooked in EMF research. The 2450 MHz frequency used matches exactly what your WiFi router and microwave oven emit, making these findings directly relevant to everyday exposures. The activation of stress and cell death genes in eye tissue is particularly concerning given how frequently we hold phones near our faces and work under WiFi signals. While this was a laboratory study using isolated cells, it demonstrates that the 'it's just heat' argument used by wireless industry advocates doesn't hold up to scientific scrutiny.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 2450 MHz
Study Details
To study the difference in stress and apoptosis related genes transcription between hTERT-RPE1 cells exposed to simulated microwave radiation and the cells with heat water bath, and the effects of microwave on gene transcription in cultured human retina pigment epithelial cells.
cDNA microarray technique was used to detect the mRNA isolated from hTERT-RPE1 cells exposed to 2 45...
Among the 97 related aim genes, there were seven genes up-regulating its transcription, i.e., M31166...
Microwave could induce up-regulating in multiple stress and apoptosis related genes transcription in cultured human retina pigment epithelial cells, hTERT-RPE1 cells. Microwave radiation has unique effect itself in addition to its heat effect.
Show BibTeX
@article{x_2002_the_microarray_study_on_2371,
author = {Liu X and Shen H and Shi Y and Chen J and Chen Y and Ji A.},
title = {The microarray study on the stress gene transcription profile in human retina pigment epithelial cells exposed to microwave radiation.},
year = {2002},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12411184/},
}