Significant damage in rat brains following one-time exposures to cell phone radiation

From: "KD Weber"
Significant damage in rat brains following one-time exposures to cell
phone radiation

Protecting Our Health: Cell phones cause damage to rat brains

Salford, LG, AE Brun, JL Eberhardt, L Malmgren and BRR Persson. 2003. Nerve
cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile
phones. Environmental Health Perspectives 111:881-883.

http://www.protectingourhealth.org/newscience/learning/2003/2003-0129salfordetal
.htm

Salford et al. document serious neuronal damage in rat brains following
exposure to microwave radiation from a cell phone, at levels comparable to
what people would experience during normal use. Damage to nerve cells was
observed in several places within the brain, including the cortex,
hippocampus and basal ganglia. It was associated with evidence of leakage of
proteins through the blood-brain barrier. The authors express concern that
"after some decades of (often) daily use, a whole generation of [cell phone]
users may suffer negative effects, perhaps as early as middle age."
In a companion news story in the issue of Environmental Health Perspectives
in which the research is published, the journal comments: "It might be time
to get serious about using your headset when talking on your mobile phone
and encouraging your family members to do the same."
What did they do? Salford et al. exposed rats to microwave radiation from a
GSM cell phone, varying the intensity of radiation across a range that would
be experienced by mobile phone users. The rats were contained within plastic
trays inside a specially constructed wooden box that allowed free movement,
other than to prevent direct contact with the source of radiation. One set
of animals was placed in the box without turning on the transmitter; they
served as a control group. The others were exposed to peak power densities
of 0.24, 2.4 and 24 Watts/square meter (which translates to 2 milliWatts per
kg, 20 mW/kg and 200 mW/kg, respectively). Each group contained 8 animals.
After a 50-day waiting period, during which the rats were monitored for
behavioral abnormalities, Salford et al. killed the animals, carefully
removed their brains, and studied them by applying stains and albumin
antibodies that allowed detection of abnormalities.
What did they find? As expected, both control and experimental animals had
albumin within the hypothalamus. This is normal.
Exposed animals, however, were much more likely to have albumin leaking from
blood vessels in inappropriate locations.
A closer look at the cells within the brain revealed that exposed animals
had "scattered and grouped dark neurons... often shrunken.. with loss of
internal cell structures." These altered neurons were seen in all locations,
but "especially the cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia."
What does it mean? Most of the public debate about possible health effects
of microwave radiation from cell phones has focused on cancer. While debate
about this continues, most studies, including by Salford's research team,
have had negative results.
This work focuses on a different mechanism which had been identified by
earlier authors (e.g., Oscar and Hawkins 1977) but not pursued vigorously:
increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier. These results cleary
establish an adverse impact at levels within the range experienced by people
using cell phones.
According to these scientists, "intense use of mobile phones by youngsters
is a serious consideration. A neuronal damage of the kind described here may
not have immediate, demonstrable consequences, even if repeated. In the long
run, however, it may result in reduced brain reserve capacity that might be
unveiled by other later neuronal disease or even the wear and tear of aging.
We cannot exclude that after some decades of (often) daily use, a whole
generation of users may suffer negative effects, perhaps as early as in
middle age."
That is a cautious way of saying that Salford and his team of scientists are
very concerned about the possible human impacts of cell phone use. Indeed,
as noted above, the journal in which these results were published,
Environmental Health Perspectives (the journal of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences), went so far as to recommend using headsets.