Mobile telephony radiation exerts genotoxic action and significantly enhances the effects of gamma radiation in human cells

Study snapshot

Abstract

Mobile telephony radiation exerts genotoxic action and significantly enhances the effects of gamma radiation in human cells Panagopoulos DJ. Mobile telephony radiation exerts genotoxic action and significantly enhances the effects of gamma radiation in human cells. Gen Physiol Biophys. 2024 Mar;43(2):103-120. doi: 10.4149/gpb_2023036. Abstract I previously reported chromosomal damage in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) induced by: a) Mobile telephony (MT) electromagnetic fields (EMFs)/electromagnetic radiation (EMR), b) a high caffeine dose, and c) the combination of the two stressors. HPBLs from the same subjects exposed to gamma radiation at doses 0.1, 0.3, or 0.5 Gy, displayed more aberrations than those exposed to MT EMFs or the high caffeine dose in a dose- dependent manner. When the cells exposed to these gamma radiation doses were pre-exposed to a single 15-min MT EMF exposure, the number of aberrations increased significantly more than the sum number of aberrations induced by the individual stressors in all subjects. Thus, MT EMF exposure at a power density ~ 136 times below the latest International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection-ICNIRP exposure limit, apart from the fact that it is genotoxic by itself, significantly enhanced the genotoxic action of gamma radiation. Since gamma radiation at similar doses is applied for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, people should be aware of the increased risk during treatment periods. Comparison of the genotoxic action between MT EMF and gamma radiation shows that the ICNIRP limits are, at least, ⁓4.5×104 times less stringent than the limits for gamma radiation. Excerpts The studies that found real-life UMTS (3G/4G) exposure to be even more genotoxic than real-life GSM (2G) (D’Silva et al. 2017, 2021) are in line with the fact that newer types of MT/WC EMFs (3G, 4G, 5G) transmit increasingly higher amount/density of variable information (speech, text, images, video, Internet) making the signal increasingly complicated, unpredictably varying each moment, and thus, increasingly more bioactive due to the inability of the living organisms to adapt to a highly variable stressor. Thus, the effects under deployment 5G MT EMF are expected to be even more intense than those of 2G, 3G, 4G. This should have been seriously considered by the responsible public health authorities.... The disruption of cell electrochemical balance by manmade (polarized and coherent) EMFs through irregular gating of voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) in cell membranes is described by the “ion forced- oscillation and VGIC dysfunction” mechanism (IFO-VGIC mechanism) (Panagopoulos et al. 2000, 2002, 2015b, 2021; Panagopoulos 2022b). According to this mechanism, the mobile ions in the cells are forced to oscillate in parallel and in phase with the applied man-made oscillating EMFs and this coordinated oscillation of electric charge exerts constructive Coulomb forces on the channel sensors of the VGICs similar to those exerted by membrane voltage changes that physiologically gate the VGICs. This causes irregular gating, and thus, dysfunction of the VGICs, which leads to intracellular release of ROS that finally cause genetic/cellular damage (Panagopoulos et al. 2021, 2022b).... What has been referred to by Pall (2018) as voltage-gated calcium channel activation mechanism (“VGCC activation mechanism”) is no other than the IFO-VGIC mechanism specifically on the calcium voltage-gated ion channels, and should not be reported as a different mechanism. Pall claimed he suggested a different mechanism simply because he hypothesized that the VGICs are gated by “direct” forces on their voltage-sensors by “penetrating” RF EMFs instead of ELF forces exerted by the oscillating ions in close proximity to the sensors. The impossibility of Pall’s claims is analyzed in commentary papers (Foster and Balzano 2021; Panagopoulos 2021; Arribas et al. 2022). Conclusions: (1) MT EMF exposure, apart from the fact that it is genotoxic by itself, significantly enhanced the genotoxic action of gamma radiation in combined exposure; (2) People/patients who are subjected to diagnostic or therapeutic treatment with ionizing radiation should be prudently advised to avoid using Wireless Communication (WC) devices (mobile/smart phones, wi-fi, cordless domestic phones, etc.) for a few days before, during, and after such treatments; (3) Medical/radiology practitioners should be specifically educated on the risks of anthropogenic EMF- exposures in addition to those of ionizing radiations; (4) Comparison with caffeine and gamma radiation suggests that the ICNIRP (2020) limits for WC EMF exposure should be lowered by 40,000 and 45,000 times respectively; (5) The limit for short-term (acute) exposure should then become 0.1 μW/cm2 and accordingly for long- term exposure 0.001 μW/cm2; (6) The combined effects of real-life man-made EMFs with a variety of other environmental stressors should be examined as a priority by next studies. Open access paper: elis.sk

Main findings

In human peripheral blood lymphocytes, mobile telephony electromagnetic field exposure was reported to induce chromosomal damage. Pre-exposure to a single 15-minute mobile telephony EMF exposure significantly increased gamma-radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations beyond the sum of the individual stressors, according to the abstract.

Outcomes measured

• Chromosomal aberrations
• Genotoxicity

Limitations

• In vitro study
• Sample size not stated in the abstract
• Exposure frequency and SAR not reported in the abstract
• Abstract does not provide detailed quantitative results for all comparisons