[Surface markers and functions of human dendritic cells exposed to mobile phone 1800 MHz electromagnetic fields.]
Zhou ZD, Zeng QL, Zheng Y, Zhang JB, Chen HY, Lu DQ, Shao CS, Xia DJ. · 2008
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation impaired immune cell function in laboratory tests at levels twice current safety limits.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human dendritic cells (immune system cells that help coordinate immune responses) to cell phone radiation at 1800 MHz for up to 24 hours. They found that the radiation significantly reduced key surface markers on these cells and impaired their ability to stimulate other immune cells, with effects worsening over longer exposure periods. This suggests that cell phone radiation may weaken immune system function at the cellular level.
Why This Matters
This study reveals concerning effects on dendritic cells, which serve as crucial 'messengers' in your immune system, alerting other immune cells to threats. The researchers used a SAR level of 4 W/kg, which is double the current US limit of 2 W/kg for cell phones and significantly higher than typical exposure levels during normal phone use. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates dose-dependent effects - the longer the exposure, the greater the immune suppression. The science demonstrates that even at the cellular level, RF radiation can disrupt normal immune function by reducing the expression of critical surface molecules that dendritic cells need to communicate effectively with other immune cells. While this was a laboratory study using isolated cells rather than whole organisms, it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that chronic EMF exposure may compromise immune system performance over time.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 4 W/kg
- Exposure Duration
- 0 h, 1 h, 12 h or 24 h
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 the effects of mobile phone 1800 MHz electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the surface markers and the functions of human dendritic cells (DC).
Human DCs were exposed to intermittent 5 min on/10 min off EMF with specific absorption rates (SAR) ...
Compared with the sham radiation group, after exposure to the electromagnetic fields for 1 h, 12 h, ...
The study showed that EMF exposure could down-regulate the surface molecules and stimulation ability of human DC.
Show BibTeX
@article{zd_2008_surface_markers_and_functions_1472,
author = {Zhou ZD and Zeng QL and Zheng Y and Zhang JB and Chen HY and Lu DQ and Shao CS and Xia DJ.},
title = {[Surface markers and functions of human dendritic cells exposed to mobile phone 1800 MHz electromagnetic fields.]},
year = {2008},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18275116/},
}