Effect of 6 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field on the development of fetal bones

Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine · 2024 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 304

Compared with controls, all RF-EMF exposure groups showed significantly increased fetal weights and measured fetal lengths (p<0.001). Extremity bones also showed significant increases in length, ossification zone length, and ossification percentage in all exp…

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic Biology and Medicine · 2024

Study typeanimal

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of 6 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field on the development of fetal bones Karamazı Y, Emre M, Uçar S, Aksoy G, Emre T, Tokuş M. (2024). Effect of 6 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field on the development of fetal bones. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 1–9. doi: 10.1080/15368378.2024.2438608. Abstract This study examined the impact of 6 GHz (0.054 W/kg SAR) Radiofrequency-Electromagnetic Field (RF- EMF) on prenatal bone development. In this study, 20 female and 20 male Wistar Albino rats divided into four groups. The Control group received no treatment, while in Group-I, only male rats were exposed to RF-EMF, female rats had no exposure. Group-II, both male and female rats received RF-EMF treatment. While in Group-III, only female rats were exposed to RF-EMF, male rats had no exposure. The exposure lasted 4 hours per day for 6 weeks. The rats were then allowed to mate within the group. After pregnancy, pregnant rats (Group-II and III) were exposed 4 hours per day for 18 days. On the 18th day of gestation, fetuses were removed and their weight and various lengths were measured. The skeletal system development of fetuses was examined with double skeletal staining method and assessed ossification in the extremities. In the study, fetal weights, head-tail length, occipital-frontal and parietal- parietal lengths significantly increased in all exposure groups when compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Although occipital-frontal length was smallest in Group-I, Group-II and Group-III were more higher than the control group (p < 0.001). The bones of the anterior and posterior extremities showed significant increases in length, ossification zone length, and ossification percentage in all experimental groups compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Our study showed that rats exposed to 6 GHz (0.054 W/kg) RF-EMF during the prenatal period had significant increases in bone development. Plain-Language Summary Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field (RF-EMF) sources are one of the most widely used technology systems in daily life. This study examined the impact of 6 GHz RF-EMF on prenatal bone development. In this study, 20 female and 20 male Wistar Albino rats divided into four groups. The control group rats received no treatment, while in Group-I, only male rats, Group-II, both male and female rats, while in Group-III, only female rats were exposed to RF-EMF. The exposure lasted 4 hours/day for 6 weeks. The rats were then allowed to mate within the group. After pregnancy, pregnant rats (Group-II and III) were exposed 4 hours/day for 18 days. On the 18th day of gestation, fetuses were removed 10 fetuses each group were randomly selected in each group and their weight and various lengths were measured. The skeletal system development of fetuses was examined with double skeletal staining method. The ImageJ program was used assess ossification in the extremities. tandfonline.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionbenefit

PopulationWistar Albino rats (male and female; fetuses assessed)

Sample size40

ExposureRF · 6000 MHz · 0.054 W/kg · 4 hours/day for 6 weeks pre-mating; during pregnancy (groups II and III) 4 hours/day for 18 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Fetal weight
Head-tail length
Occipital-frontal length
Parietal-parietal length
Anterior and posterior extremity bone length
Ossification zone length (extremities)
Ossification percentage (extremities)

Limitations

Exposure source/setup not described in the provided abstract (e.g., device/field characteristics beyond frequency and SAR).
Fetal measurement sample described as 10 fetuses per group, but total number of fetuses assessed and litter-level handling are not fully specified in the abstract.
Randomization/blinding procedures are not described in the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 6000,
    "sar_wkg": 0.054,
    "duration": "4 hours/day for 6 weeks pre-mating; during pregnancy (groups II and III) 4 hours/day for 18 days"
  },
  "population": "Wistar Albino rats (male and female; fetuses assessed)",
  "sample_size": 40,
  "outcomes": [
    "Fetal weight",
    "Head-tail length",
    "Occipital-frontal length",
    "Parietal-parietal length",
    "Anterior and posterior extremity bone length",
    "Ossification zone length (extremities)",
    "Ossification percentage (extremities)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with controls, all RF-EMF exposure groups showed significantly increased fetal weights and measured fetal lengths (p<0.001). Extremity bones also showed significant increases in length, ossification zone length, and ossification percentage in all experimental groups versus control (p<0.001).",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure source/setup not described in the provided abstract (e.g., device/field characteristics beyond frequency and SAR).",
    "Fetal measurement sample described as 10 fetuses per group, but total number of fetuses assessed and litter-level handling are not fully specified in the abstract.",
    "Randomization/blinding procedures are not described in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "6 GHz",
    "RF-EMF",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic field",
    "SAR",
    "prenatal exposure",
    "fetal bone development",
    "ossification",
    "Wistar Albino rats"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Exposure frequency is 6 GHz, within/adjacent to bands discussed in 5G-related contexts."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1080/15368378.2024.2438608
PubMed: Not supplied

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