Evaluation of the cytogenotoxic damage in immature and mature rats exposed to 900 MHz radio frequency electromagnetic fields.
Atlı Şekeroğlu Z, Akar A, Sekeroğlu V. · 2013
View Original AbstractDaily cell phone-level RF exposure caused persistent DNA damage in rats, with young animals showing greater vulnerability than adults.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed young and adult rats to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for 2 hours daily over 45 days. Both age groups showed significant DNA damage in bone marrow cells, with young rats more severely affected. The genetic damage persisted even after a recovery period.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to concerns about RF radiation's ability to damage DNA, particularly in developing organisms. The exposure levels used (SAR values of 0.31-0.78 W/kg) are within the range of typical cell phone use, making these findings directly relevant to human exposure scenarios. What's especially concerning is that the genetic damage persisted even after a two-week recovery period, suggesting these effects may not be easily reversible. The researchers' specific call for more studies on carcinogenic risk in children reflects the growing scientific recognition that young, developing bodies may be more vulnerable to RF radiation. The science demonstrates that even relatively brief daily exposures can produce measurable genetic damage in living tissue.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.38–0.78 and 0.31–0.52 W/kg
- Electric Field
- 28.1 ± 4.8 and 20.0 ± 3.2 V/m
- Source/Device
- 900 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 45 days
Exposure Context
This study used 28.1 ± 4.8 and 20.0 ± 3.2 V/m for electric fields:
- 10.7x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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
we investigated the cytogenotoxic effects of 900 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and the effect of a recovery period after exposure to RF-EMF on bone marrow cells of immature and mature rats.
The immature and mature rats in treatment groups were exposed to RF-EMF for 2 h/day for 45 days. Ave...
Significant differences were observed in chromosome aberrations (CA), micronucleus (MN) frequency, m...
The exposure of RF-EMF leads to cytotoxic and genotoxic damage in immature and mature rats. More sensitive studies are required to elucidate the possible carcinogenic risk of EMF exposure in humans, especially children.
Show BibTeX
@article{z_2013_evaluation_of_the_cytogenotoxic_825,
author = {Atlı Şekeroğlu Z and Akar A and Sekeroğlu V.},
title = {Evaluation of the cytogenotoxic damage in immature and mature rats exposed to 900 MHz radio frequency electromagnetic fields.},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.3109/09553002.2013.809170},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2013.809170},
}