Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Effects of mobile-phone microwave on dimethylbenz (a) anthracene induced mammary carcinoma development in rats.
Shen YH, Yu D, Fu YT, Chiang H. · 2006
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation at levels up to twice typical phone use didn't accelerate breast cancer development in this rat study.
Plain English Summary
Chinese researchers exposed 500 female rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz GSM signals) for 4 hours daily over 26 weeks after giving them a chemical known to cause breast tumors. They tested different radiation levels, including some well above typical phone exposure. The study found no difference in breast cancer rates between exposed and unexposed rats - about one-third developed tumors regardless of radiation exposure.
Why This Matters
This study addresses a critical question: does cell phone radiation accelerate cancer development once the process has started? The researchers used a well-established cancer model, exposing rats to DMBA (a potent carcinogen) then testing whether RF radiation acted as a tumor promoter. The exposure levels ranged from 0.44 to 4.0 W/kg - with the highest level being roughly double what you'd get from holding a phone to your head during a call. While this study found no cancer-promoting effects, it's important to understand its limitations. The study only looked at one type of cancer over 26 weeks, and used an artificial tumor model that may not reflect how cancer naturally develops. The reality is that cancer research requires looking at the totality of evidence, not individual studies in isolation.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0, 0.44, 1.33 and 4.00 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz GSM
- Exposure Duration
- 4 hours/day, 5 days/week for 26 weeks
Exposure Context
This study used 0, 0.44, 1.33 and 4.00 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.1x 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 exposure to 900 MHz GSM wireless communication signals enhances mammary tumor development and growth induced by low dose dimethylbenz (a) anthracene (DMBA).
Five hundred female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were treated with a single dose of 35 mg/kg. DMBA and t...
The incidence of mammary carcinoma in sham-exposure group was 37% (37/100). And mammary carcinoma in...
This study does not provide the evidence that 900 MHz GSM microwave exposure might promote DMBA-induced mammary tumor development in rats.
Show BibTeX
@article{yh_2006_effects_of_mobilephone_microwave_3392,
author = {Shen YH and Yu D and Fu YT and Chiang H.},
title = {Effects of mobile-phone microwave on dimethylbenz (a) anthracene induced mammary carcinoma development in rats.},
year = {2006},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16836878/},
}