Non-Thermal Biomarkers of Exposure to Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation

Abstract

This article gives a review or several hypotheses on the biological effects of non-thermal radiofrequency/ microwave (RF/MW) radiation and discusses our own fi ndings from animal and in vitro studies performed over the last decade. We have found that RF/MW radiation disturbs cell proliferation and leads to cell differentiation in the bone marrow, which is refl ected in the peripheral blood of rats. Repeated RF/MW radiation can also temporarily disrupt melatonin turnover. The observed changes seem to be a sign of adaptation to stress caused by irradiation rather than of malfunction. The article looks further into the basic mechanisms of RF/MW biological action, including cell growth parameters, colony-forming ability, viability, and the polar and apolar protein cytoskeleton structures. The observed reversible cell changes signifi cantly obstructed cell growth. In contrast to the apolar intermediate proteins, the intracellular polar microtubule and actin fi bres were damaged by radiation in a time-dependent manner. These signifi cantly altered parameters can be considered as the biomarkers of exposure. Future research should combine dosimetry, experimental studies, and epidemiological data.

In vitro non-thermal oxidative stress response after 1800 MHz radiofrequency radiation

“…At the same time there are many uncertainties and questions regarding biological effects that occur in the absence of heating, at the non-thermal level. One of the important mechanisms that should be considered in risk evaluation of non-thermal radiation exposure is connected to reactive oxygen species (ROS), alteration in radical scavengers and development of oxidative stress (Blank 2008;Georgiou 2010;Trošić et al 2012).…”

Microtubular structure impairment after GSM-modulated RF radiation exposure

“…For RF energy to impair physiological function or trigger a disease in humans or animals there must be a mechanism by which physical forces exerted by electric and magnetic fields or charged particles alter molecules, chemical reactions, cell membrane, or biological structure ( 20 , 21 , 22 ). This mechanism could be connected to microtubule dynamics.…”

Immune Responses to Multi-Frequencies of 1.5 GHz and 4.3 GHz Microwave Exposure in Rats: Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis

“…In the past decades, most of the researchers aimed to uncover the biological effects caused by microwaves with a single frequency at indicated power density [7,8]. Our group has previously reported that S band microwaves, ranging from 2 GHz to 4 GHz, could cause significant injuries on several organs and tissues, including the nervous system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system and immune system [9][10][11][12]. Moreover, the potential underlying mechanisms were explored [7,13,14].…”

“…However, people are always exposed to complex microwave environment with different frequencies or power densities in daily life [7,8]. For example, the remote sensing satellites constantly equipped with synthetic aperture radar simultaneously emit a signal at frequencies of L-band (1-2 GHz), C-band (4-8 GHz) and X-band (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) [1]. Therefore, it is important to explore the biological effects and underlying mechanisms caused by multi-frequency microwaves.…”