Study type: Medical/biological study (experimental study)

No effect of short-term exposure to GSM-modulated low-power microwaves on benzo(a)pyrene-induced tumours in rat med./bio.

By: Chagnaud JL, Moreau JM, Veyret B
Published in: Int J Radiat Biol 1999; 75 (10): 1251-1256
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Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study the effects of low-level microwaves on cancer development using a rat sarcoma model.

Endpoint

Exposure

Exposure Parameters
Exposure 1: 900 MHz
Modulation type: pulsed
Exposure duration: repeated daily exposure, 2 h/day, 5 days/week for 2 weeks

Exposure 1

Main characteristics
Frequency 900 MHz
Type
Charakteristic
Exposure duration repeated daily exposure, 2 h/day, 5 days/week for 2 weeks
Modulation
Modulation type pulsed
Duty cycle 12.5 %
Repetition frequency 217 Hz
Exposure setup
Exposure source
Distance between exposed object and exposure source 65 cm
Chamber The distance between the bottom of the horn antenna (mounted at the top of the anechoic chamber) and the top of the cages was 65 cm.
Setup Animals were placed in Plexiglas containers divided into ten separate cages (6 cm x 6 cm x 17 cm long, arranged in two rows of five) keeping the animals parallel to the electric field, with their heads facing outwards most of the time.
Sham exposure A sham exposure was conducted.
Additional info Rats were exposed or sham exposed from day 20, 40 or 75 after injection of benzo(a)pyrene. A group of six rats was kept as cage control.
Parameters
Measurand Value Type Method Mass Remarks
power density 55 µW/cm² mean measured - -
SAR 75 mW/kg mean measured whole body ± 25 mW/kg
power density 200 µW/cm² mean measured - -
SAR 270 mW/kg mean measured whole body ± 90 mW/kg
Additional parameter details

Since the spread in SAR was mainly due to the cage position, rats were placed into the cages at random each day.

Measurement and calculation details

The incident power was monitored using an isotropic probe. Whole-body SAR was first estimated using the plane-wave formula of Durney et al. [1979] and then determined by monitoring the temperature rise under far-field exposure to 900 MHz CW using fibreoptic sensors inserted at three locations into a rat gel phantom.

Reference articles

  • Durney CH et al. (1979): An empirical formula for broad band SAR calculations of prolate spheriodal models of humans and animals

Exposed system:

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

Investigated system:
Time of investigation:
  • during exposure
  • after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

Low-level GSM microwave radiation of rat bearing benzopyrene-induced tumours had no effect on auto-antibody levels, tumour appearance and survival.

Study character:

Study funded by

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