Considerations for Developing an RF Exposure System: A Review for in vitro Biological Experiments

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed review and classification of exposure systems used in RF in vitro research from 1999 up to 2009. Since different endpoints and protocols are used in bioelectromagnetics studies, exposure systems cannot be standardized. However, a standardized procedure to achieve the optimum design of the exposure system is suggested. Following this procedure will lead to a known dose distribution within the biological sample and allow a better comparison with other in vitro studies. In addition, the quality of the study will be such that it will be more likely to be included in assessment procedures such as health-risk assessments

Mobile phone radiofrequency exposure has no effect on DNA double strand breaks (DSB) in human lymphocytes

“…The thermal and non-thermal effects of RF have been recently explored in many biological systems (3)(4)(5), often yielding inconsistent or controversial results. Among the great deal of investigations raised in recent years, at least one evidence seemingly emerged, consisting in the fact that the use of mobile phones for 10 years or longer may increase the risk of certain types of cancer [odds ratio (OR), 1.18; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.04-1.34], whereas this association was mostly insignificant for normal mobile phone users compared to non-users (OR =0.98; 95% CI, 0.89-1.07) (6).…”

Experimental Requirements for in vitro Studies Aimed to Evaluate the Biological Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation

“…However, general guidelines and minimal requirements have been defined and published in the literature [25][26][27][28] suggesting specific procedures and methods to be followed in the realization of RF in vitro exposure setups in order to pursue reliability and reproducibility of the results.…”

“…Different solutions can be devised depending on several factors, such as the number of samples to be contemporaneously exposed, the possibility of hosting the structure inside an incubator or of providing it with tools for maintaining environmental conditions, the polarization of the EM field with respect to the sample, the required SAR efficiency and homogeneity. Different kinds of RF applicators are used in bioelectromagnetics, that can be generally classified in radiating, propagating or resonant systems, as suggested by [28]. Among them, transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cells, waveguides (mainly rectangular, but also circular, radial and coplanar), radial transmission lines and wire patch cells are the most used for their versatility and good performance.…”

Setup for Simultaneous Microwave Heating and Real-Time Spectrofluorometric Measurements in Biological Systems

“…The cuvette is placed in a thermostated holder associated with Peltier elements for temperature control, in the optical path of the fluorometer. In microwave experiments, biological samples are typically exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) via radiating, propagating or resonant systems [8].…”