Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Effect of chronic exposure to a GSM-like signal (mobile phone) on survival of female Sprague-Dawley rats: Modulatory effects by month of birth and possibly stage of the solar cycle med./bio.

By: Bartsch H, Küpper H, Scheurlen U, Deerberg F, Seebald E, Dietz K, Mecke D, Probst H, Stehle T, Bartsch C

Published in: Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2010; 31 (4): 457-473

Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study the effect of chronic exposure to a low intensity GSM-like signal on health and survival of unrestrained female rats kept under identical conditions.

Background/further details

During 1997-2008 two long-term (experiments I and II) and two life-long (experiments III and IV) experiments were performed. In the first two experiments (1997-2000) 12 exposed and 12 sham exposed rats (each experiment) were observed until all surviving rats were sacrificed at 25 (770 days; experiment I) or 19 months of age (580 days; experiment II). In the course of two survival experiments (experiments III and IV: 2002-2005 and 2005-2008) 30 exposed and 30 sham exposed animals (each experiment) were followed up until their natural end or when they became moribund and had to be euthanized (maximal survival time was 36-37 months).

Endpoint

health and survival (mortality)

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone
- GSM

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 900 MHz Modulation type: pulsed Exposure duration: continuous (except times for feeding, cleaning, health inspection, etc.): 24 months (exp. I), 17 (exp. II), 36 (exp. III), and 37 (exp. IV) months	power density: 100 µW/cm² mean (cage bottom) SAR: 80 mW/kg mean (whole body) (animals 2 months old) SAR: 44 mW/kg mean (whole body) (animals 4-6 months old) SAR: 38 mW/kg mean (whole body) (animals 11-12 months old)

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	900 MHz
Type	electromagnetic field
Charakteristic	far field
Polarization	circular
Exposure duration	continuous (except times for feeding, cleaning, health inspection, etc.): 24 months (exp. I), 17 (exp. II), 36 (exp. III), and 37 (exp. IV) months

Modulation

Modulation type	pulsed
Pulse width	577 µs
Repetition frequency	217 Hz

Exposure setup

Exposure source	flat spiral antenna
Chamber	exposure chambers were placed in two adjacent rooms (no windows) of equal dimensions (RF exposure and sham exposure); no mobile communication possible within the rooms; 12 hours light (28-35 lux) per 24 hours; detailed description of an identical exposure set-up (identical parameters and intensity) in Bartsch H. et al. (2002)
Setup	12 unrestrained animals per cage, located within exposure chamber or sham chamber
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.
Additional info	exposure began with 52 (I), 53 (II) , 70 (III) or 63 (IV) days of age depending on experiment group; animals sacrificed at 25 (I) and 19 (II) months of age; groups III and IV observed until natural end

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
power density	100 µW/cm²	mean	-	-	cage bottom
SAR	80 mW/kg	mean	calculated	whole body	animals 2 months old
SAR	44 mW/kg	mean	calculated	whole body	animals 4-6 months old
SAR	38 mW/kg	mean	calculated	whole body	animals 11-12 months old

Reference articles

Bartsch H et al. (2002): Chronic exposure to a GSM-like signal (mobile phone) does not stimulate the development of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats: results of three consecutive studies

Exposed system:

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

cancer: tumor development (mammary tumors, pituitary tumors and tumors in other organs)
morphol./histopathol. changes: histopathological changes (of more than 20 organs; macroscopic and microscopic analysis)
health status and survival (experiments III and IV only); body weight

Investigated system:

tissue slices
urine samples
investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

immune system
cardiovascular system
respiratory system
brain/CNS
gastrointestinal tract and urogenital tract

Time of investigation:

during exposure
after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

In experiment I no adverse health effects of chronic exposure were detectable, neither by macroscopic nor microscopic pathological examinations. Also in experiment II no apparent macroscopic pathological changes due to irradiation were found.
Median survival was significantly shortened under exposure in experiments III and IV by 9.06%, i.e by 72 days in experiment III and 77 days in experiment IV as compared to the sham exposed rats. Both groups of animals of experiment III showed reduced median survival times by 6.25% compared to the corresponding groups of experiment IV which may be due to the fact that animals of experiment III were born in October and animals of experiment IV in May indicating that the month of birth affects life span.
From the data of the last two experiments it has to be concluded that chronic exposure to a low intensity GSM-like signal may exert negative health effects and shorten survival if treatment is applied sufficiently long and the observational period covers the full life span of the animals concerned. The data show that survival of rats kept under controlled laboratory conditions varies within certain limits depending on the month of birth. To further prove these complex interactions and processes it is necessary to systematically continue the experiments.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study

Study funded by

Deutsche Telekom/T-Systems, Germany
Forschungsgemeinschaft Funk e.V. (FGF) (Research Association for Radio Applications), Germany
Swisscom

Falcioni L et al. (2018): Report of final results regarding brain and heart tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed from prenatal life until natural death to mobile phone radiofrequency field representative of a 1.8 GHz GSM base station environmental emission
Mortazavi SM et al. (2014): Non-linear adaptive phenomena which decrease the risk of infection after pre-exposure to radiofrequency radiation
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Bartsch H et al. (2002): Chronic exposure to a GSM-like signal (mobile phone) does not stimulate the development of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats: results of three consecutive studies
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Berman E et al. (1985): Lethality in mice and rats exposed to 2450 MHz circularly polarized microwaves as a function of exposure duration and environmental factors