Mitochondrial DNA damage and oxidative damage in HL-60 cells exposed to 900MHz radiofrequency fields.
Sun Y, Zong L, Gao Z, Zhu S, Tong J, Cao Y · 2017
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation damaged cellular DNA and energy production in human cells at exposure levels similar to phone calls.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human blood cells to 900MHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in many cell phones) for 4 hours daily over 5 days. The radiation caused significant damage to mitochondrial DNA (the genetic material in cellular powerhouses) and increased harmful free radicals, while reducing the cells' ability to produce energy. Importantly, treating the cells with melatonin, a natural antioxidant, prevented this damage.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that cell phone frequency radiation can damage the very foundation of cellular energy production. The 120 microwatts per square centimeter exposure level used here is well within the range of what you might experience during a phone call held close to your head. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates a clear biological mechanism: radiofrequency radiation triggers oxidative stress that specifically targets mitochondrial DNA, the genetic blueprints for your cellular power plants. The fact that melatonin could prevent this damage suggests the effects are mediated by free radical production, not just heating. This adds to a growing body of evidence showing that EMF exposure can disrupt cellular function at the genetic level, even at power levels regulators claim are safe.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.12 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 900MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 4h/day for 5 consecutive days
Exposure Context
This study used 0.12 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 12Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 200Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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
HL-60 cells, derived from human promyelocytic leukemia, were exposed to continuous wave 900MHz radiofrequency fields (RF) at 120μW/cm2 power intensity for 4h/day for 5 consecutive days to examine whether such exposure is capable damaging the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mediated through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
In addition, the effect of RF exposure was examined on 8-hydroxy-2'-dexoyguanosine (8-OHdG) which i...
The results indicated a significant increase in ROS and significant decreases in mitochondrial trans...
Thus, the overall data indicated that RF exposure was capable of inducing mtDNA damage mediated through ROS pathway which also induced oxidative damage. Prior-treatment of RF- and GR-exposed the cells with melatonin, a well-known free radical scavenger, reversed the effects observed in RF-exposed cells.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2017_mitochondrial_dna_damage_and_1346,
author = {Sun Y and Zong L and Gao Z and Zhu S and Tong J and Cao Y},
title = {Mitochondrial DNA damage and oxidative damage in HL-60 cells exposed to 900MHz radiofrequency fields.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28340409/},
}