To study the direct effects of high-frequency 1800 MHz electromagnetic fields of different SAR levels on melatonin release by isolated pineal organs from Djungarian hamsters.
Both continuous wave and pulsed wave signals were used. The pulse signals were modulated according to the GSM.
The pineal glands were perifused with a special buffer containing the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol to stimulate melatonin synthesis.
| Frequency | 1,800 MHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Charakteristic |
|
| Exposure duration | continuous for 7 h |
| Modulation type | CW |
|---|
| Exposure source | |
|---|---|
| Chamber | A modified radial waveguide exposure system was used whose principal features have been described in the reference article. Two identical waveguides (diameter 40 cm, height 3 cm) were placed in an incubator at 35 ± 1°C and activated one day prior to each experiment to allow for temperature equilibrium. Every experiment used one unit for exposure and one for sham-exposure controlled (blind randomized) by the data acquisition system. |
| Setup | Inside the radial waveguides, which were terminated by thin absorber sheets (< -20 dB at 2 GHz), 20 glass cylinders each containing a pineal gland were arranged at a constant distance from a cone antenna in the center. The flexible tubes of the pumping system were connected to the glass receptacles through circular waveguides beyond cut-off to prevent any RF leakage. Each exposure unit contained one calibrated temperature probe instead of a pineal gland within a glass cylinder. |
| Additional info | Different intensities for SAR values of 8, 80, 800, and 2700 mW/kg were used according to detailed calculations of the absorbed RF-EMF in the pineal gland tissue. The upper limit of 2700 mW/kg SAR was selected because pre-experiments revealed that higher values caused thermal effects (i.e. temperature differences of more than 1°C between exposed and control units). |
| Frequency | 1,800 MHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Charakteristic |
|
| Exposure duration | continuous for 7 h |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|
Both types of signal significantly enhanced melatonin release at 800 mW/kg, while at 2700 mW/kg melatonin levels were elevated in the continuous wave, but suppressed in the GSM-exposed pineal glands. As a temperature rise of approximately 1.2°C was measured at 2700 mW/kg, effects at this level are thermal.
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