EMR Research Updates - EMR & Health Report - December 2014 Issue
ELF fields (from electrical sources)
Pituitary
Power frequency magnetic fields had a harmful effect on the pituitary gland, which links the nervous and endocrine systems and releases a range of hormones. Serbian researchers exposed rats for one day, 7 days or 3 months and observed changes in the volume and nature of pituitary cells, concluding that exposure could be considered a stressor. (Rauš Balind, S et al, Environ Toxicol, Oct 27, 2014.)
Other effects
- Magnetic fields caused liver damage in rats. (Gig Sanit 3(92-4), 2014.
- Magnetic fields damaged the developing embryos of zebrafish. (Li,Y et al, Biol Trace Elem Res, Sep 28, 2014.)
RF/wireless radiation
Improved standards needed
Mobile phone radiation has harmful effects on the brain and better regulations are needed, say Russian researchers. The unnamed authors said that mobile phone radiation had been shown to lead to fatigue, reduced performance, attention and memory and changes to auditory motor responses. The authors state that regulations are needed that take into account the accumulation of biological effects from long-term exposure. (Gig Sanit (3):11-6, 2014.)
Brain tumours
Mobile phone use may be changing the expression of a gene that plays an important role in cancer prevention. The p53 gene is normally involved in tumour suppression but mobile phone radiation may change its role. Scientists from Germany and Iran examined 63 patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumour. They found that using a mobile phone for three or more hours a day was linked with an increased risk of mutant p53 expression and reduced survival time. (Akhavan-Sigari, R et al, Rare Tumors 6 (3):5350, 2014.)
Inflammation
Effects on the central nervous system are often thought to explain the symptoms of RF exposure. In this study, researchers exposed microglial and astrocyte cells of the CNS to fields of 1800 MHz for different periods of time. They found that exposure caused pro-inflammatory responses in each line of cells and suggested that this may lead to effects on the nervous system. They also found that, in microglia pretreated with transcription factor STAT3, the inflammation was inhibited and they suggested that this may protect against RF exposure. (Lu Y et al, PLoS One 9(9), 2014.)
Bladder inflammation
Turkish scientists have found evidence that mobile phone radiation adversely affects the bladder. The researchers exposed male rats to mobile phone radiation for 8 hours a day for 20 days and found severe inflammation in bladder tissue. They advised reducing mobile phone use to control inflammatory diseases. (Koca, O et al, Int Braz J Urol, 40(4):520-5, 2014.)
Blood-brain-barrier
Mobile phone radiation may cause permeability of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) which lines blood vessels in the brain to prevent potentially harmful substances from the blood entering it. L Wang and team exposed human BBB cells to microwave radiation for 5 minutes and observed increased permeability.
They concluded that microwave radiation can cause BBB damage and suggested a mechanism that could cause it. (Wang, LF et al, Mol Neurobiol Sept 9, 2014.)
Performance
To assess how mobile phone radiation might affect the brain, scientists exposed a young rats to a 900 MHz mobile phone signal for a period of four weeks and then assessed their behaviour. The authors found that exposed rats had indicators of oxidative stress and suggested this might cause the behavioural problems they observed. (Bratisl Lek Listy 115(5):260-6, 2014.)
Testicular damage
Mobile phone radiation may cause testicular problems, say scientists from Shiraz University in Iran. The researchers exposed rats to a 900 MHz mobile phone signal for 1-4 hours a day for a month and found increased levels of proteins that contribute to stress or the misfolding of proteins. The authors concluded that exposure contributed to non-thermal stress in testicular tissue. (Sepehrimanesh, M et al, Electrophoresis, Aug 21, 2014.)
Reproduction
Scientists from India have found further evidence that mobile phone radiation adversely affects reproduction. S Kumar and team showed that rats exposed to a 3G mobile phone signal had lower sperm counts, sperm damage, reduced testicular weight, DNA damage and other indicators of reduced fertility. (Kumar, S et al Indian J Exp Biol 52(9):890-7, 2014.)
Phone habits
Teenagers don’t like to be parted from their mobile phones at night, according to the latest research from Lebanon. Adachi- Mejia and colleagues conducted a pilot survey of 454 patents aged 12 to 20 to identify their mobile phone habits at night. They found that nearly 63% of the teens took their mobiles to bed; 47% used their mobiles as alarms; 37% texted after going to bed and nearly 8% were woken by texts during the night. (Adachi-Mejia, AM et al, Fam Community Health 37(4):252-7, 2014.)
Depression
Teenagers could benefit from education about using electronic devices at night, say researchers from Switzerland. The authors investigated sleep quality, depression and electronic media use in a group of 362 teenagers. They found that teens who used smart phones were more likely to go to bed late and use electronic media in bed than teens with conventional mobiles. They also found that use of electronic media was related to less time sleeping and more sleeping difficulties and to depression. (Lemola, S et al, J Youth Adolesc Sept 10, 2014.)
Hydrogen peroxide
Tumour cells exposed to radiofrequency radiation for 8 hours increased their production of hydrogen peroxide by 55%. (Castello, PR et al, Bioelectromagnetics 23 Sept 2014.) [Professor Martin Pall believes that increases in hydrogen peroxide cause a cycle of damage that cause symptoms of chronic disease.]
Foetal effects
The first study to find that males and females react differently to microwave radiation was conducted by Y Zhang and team from China. The researchers exposed mouse foetuses to a 9.417 GHz field and then subjected the babies to various behavioural tests. They found that exposure increased anxiety and reduced depression. Males showed memory and learning problems, whereas females did not. (Zhang, Y et al, J Radiat Res Oct 30, 2014.)
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
Scientists from Sweden investigated whether people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity were more intolerant of noise and odor than healthy volunteers. Subjects participated in two tests for sensitivity and those with electromagnetic hypersensitivity showed higher than normal scores for sensitivity to both chemicals and noise. (Nordin, S et al, Int J Environ Res Public Health 11(9):8794- 805, 2014.)