Study type: Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Prenatal exposure to 900 MHz, cell-phone electromagnetic fields had no effect on operant-behavior performances of adult rats med./bio.

By: Bornhausen M, Scheingraber H
Published in: Bioelectromagnetics 2000; 21 (8): 566-574
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Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study potential health risks of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields used in cellular telephone technology to the developing brain, rats were continuously exposed during pregnancy to a low-level (0.1 mW/cm²) 900 MHz, 217 Hz pulse modulated electromagnetic field. The offspring of exposed and of sham-exposed dams were tested later as adults in a battery of ten simultaneously operated test chambers during night time.

Endpoint

Exposure

Exposure Parameters
Exposure 1: 900 MHz
Modulation type: pulsed
Exposure duration: continuously during pregnancy from day 1 to day 20
  • power density: 0.1 mW/cm²
  • SAR: 75 mW/kg average over mass (whole body) (17.5-75 mW/kg)

Exposure 1

Main characteristics
Frequency 900 MHz
Type
Charakteristic
Polarization
  • circular
Exposure duration continuously during pregnancy from day 1 to day 20
Modulation
Modulation type pulsed
Pulse width 0.577 ms
Repetition frequency 217 Hz
Exposure setup
Exposure source
Chamber two exposure chambers 80 x 80 x 200 cm³ with an inner lining of 15 cm RF-absorbing solid foam
Parameters
Measurand Value Type Method Mass Remarks
power density 0.1 mW/cm² - measured - -
SAR 75 mW/kg average over mass measured whole body 17.5-75 mW/kg
Measurement and calculation details

Average whole body SARs for a freely roaming, pregnant rat amidst others were measured in models; they ranged between 17.5 and 75 mW/kg depending on the actual configuration of the animal sub-groups in the exposure chamber. SAR-values for the in-utero foetus were not available.

Exposed system:

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

Investigated system:
Time of investigation:
  • after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

Adult rats that had been exposed prenatally to a radiofrequency electromagnetic field that is typical of the European GSM telecommunication system did not show any performance deficits relative to controls in a sequence of nine operant-behavior performance tests with increasing test requirements.

Study character:

Study funded by

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