Mobile phone radiation affects parotid gland
November 15, 2024
Holding a mobile phone against the ear doesn’t just expose the brain to radiofrequency radiation. It exposes other parts of the head as well, particularly the parotid glands.
In a publication hot off the press, scientists from Romania and Italy have shed light on how mobile phone radiation can affect these glands.
The parotid glands are salivary glands located to either side of the mouth. They sit just 4 to10mm below the skin and in front of the ears – thus close to the position of a mobile phone.
To gain insight into how the radiation from a mobile phone affects these glands and surrounding tissues, the researchers exposed or sham-exposed three groups of female rats to 4G mobile phone radiation, on one side of the head only, at frequencies of 2,100 MHz and 3400 MHz to 3800 MHz. Exposures lasted for 2 hours a day and for 30 or 60 days.
Nor surprisingly, the researchers found that exposure caused physical changes in the exposed areas. These included changes to fibroblasts (cells involved with connective tissues), changes in lymph nodes, vascular congestion (swelling caused by vascular blood flow) and hyperkeratosis (skin thickening).
Moreover, longer exposures seemed to exacerbated the effects.
‘These findings suggest that exposure to mobile phone radiation may lead to pathological changes in the parotid gland and nearby tissues of experimental rats’, the authors said.
The research team points out that other effects have been attributed to mobile phone radiation as well. ‘Cognitive impairment, increased anxiety, as well as reduction of grey matter and cellular injury in histopathologically evaluated brain tissue in test animals are some examples of unfavorable outcomes of radiation exposure in the nervous system. Additionally, studies found subsequential changes in several organs and systems outside the head and neck area, including the digestive system, urogenital system, skeletal system, and even in the hematological system.’
The authors recommend additional studies to shed further light on the effects of exposure on the parotid gland, but meanwhile advise precaution when it comes to using a mobile phone.
They say, ‘the implementation of measures and preventive actions for using mobile phones should be of great interest, not only for adults but especially for the younger generations.’
Matei LI, Neag MA, Mocan LP, Suflețel RT, Cuțaș A, Onofrei MM, Gherman LM, Armencea G, Mihu C, Ilea A, Mihu CM, Bordea IR, Inchingolo F, Dipalma G, Melincovici CS. The effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones on rat parotid gland histology - an experimental study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2024 Oct;28(20):4405-4419. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202410_36864. PMID: 39497584.
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