To study the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic irradiation on the induction of DNA damage in male germ cells of mice.
Exposure | Parameters |
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Exposure 1:
900 MHz
Modulation type:
CW
Exposure duration:
repeated daily exposure, 12 h/day for 7 days
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|
Frequency | 900 MHz |
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Type | |
Charakteristic |
|
Exposure duration | repeated daily exposure, 12 h/day for 7 days |
Modulation type | CW |
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Exposure source |
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Chamber | A rectangular waveguide (300 x 300 x 1000 mm) was fabricated from 1 x 1 mm brass mesh glued to an aluminium frame, and the ends were filled with 15 cm thick carbon-impregnated, RF-absorbing foam. The amplifier output was connected through a matching network into a quarter wave mobile phone antenna placed transverse and vertical in the centre of the waveguide. The matching network was tuned using a power/SWR meter. |
Setup | Four or five mice were placed inside the waveguide in a polycarbonate cage (130 x 160 x 330 mm). The same number of mice were placed outside the waveguide in an identical cage for control. |
Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
electric field strength | 85 V/m | mean | measured | - | ± 10 V/m along the vertical axis |
electric field strength | 30 V/m | mean | measured | - | ± 10 V/m along the horizontal axis |
power density | 19 W/m² | mean | measured and calculated | - | ± 10 W/m² |
SAR | 90 mW/kg | mean | estimated | whole body | - |
The exposed animals kept normal and all assessment criteria (including sperm number, morphology and vitality) were not significantly affected. Gel electrophoresis revealed no gross evidence of increased single-strand breaks or double-strand breaks in spermatozoa taken from exposed mice. However, a detailed analysis of DNA integrity using quantitative PCR revealed statistically significant damage to both the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear beta-globin locus.
The data suggest that radiofrequency electromagnetic irradiation does not have a marked impact on male germ cell development, but a significant genotoxic effect on epididymal spermatozoa is evident and deserves further investigation.
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