An Evaluation of the Genotoxic Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz Frequencies with a SMART Assay in Drosophila melanogaster

Electromagnetic biology and medicine · 2021 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1226

Drosophila larvae exposed to RF electromagnetic fields at 900, 1800, and 2100 MHz for 2, 4, or 6 hours/day over 2 days showed a statistically increased number of mutant clones versus negative controls in all exposure conditions except the 6-hour/day exposure …

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic biology and medicine · 2021

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

An Evaluation of the Genotoxic Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz Frequencies with a SMART Assay in Drosophila melanogaster Merve Gunes, Kayhan Ates, Burcin Yalcin, Sibel Akkurt, Sukru Ozen, Bulent Kaya. An Evaluation of the Genotoxic Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz Frequencies with a SMART Assay in Drosophila melanogaster. Electromagn Biol Med. 2021 Feb 24;1-10. doi: 10.1080/15368378.2021.1878210. Abstract With the development of today's technology, the electromagnetic radiation spread by mobile phones and base stations is also rapidly increasing, and this causes serious concerns about the environment and human health. The Drosophila model organism is widely used in genetic toxicology studies because its genome is highly similar to the genes identified in human diseases. In this study, the genotoxic effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation were evaluated by the wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz. The SMART method is based on the observation of genetic changes occurring in the trichomes of the Drosophila wings appearing as mutant clones under the microscope. Throughout the study, total clone parameters were evaluated by exposing the Drosophila larvae to electromagnetic fields for two, four, and six hours per day for two days. As a result of the study, it was observed that the number of mutant clones was statistically increased according to the negative control group in all applications except for the six-hour application at 1800 MHz. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Conclusion ... To summarise, this article includes data on Drosophila larvae exposure to RF-EMR at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz for evaluating genotoxicity by virtue of the SMART test. Even if the six-hour experiment’s results at 1800 MHz showed no statistical significance, the rest of the obtained results showed that the number of mutant clones was increased as compared with the negative control group. Also, experimental results showed that the effects of RF-EMR depend on the exposed electrical field, the frequency, and the span between D. melanogaster and the antenna. Studies have shown that EMR can induce various types of cancer and can cause DNA damage (Brainard et al. 1999; Hardell and Sage 2008; Phillips et al. 2009). In addition, there are experimental studies in the production of ROS which have shown no significant results in apoptosis (Hou et al. 2015). Although studies have shown that EMR has a genotoxic effect, the opposite results have also been observed (Liu et al. There are contradictions in the studies on the biological effects of EMR (Lonn et al. 2005; Cao et al. 2009). This suggests that various cell lines or different systems may have different results. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the genotoxic effects of the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2100 MHz radiofrequencies have been studied in D. melanogaster. Today, extensive studies are needed to demonstrate the toxicity of RF-EMF (Vila et al. 2018).

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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 directionharm

PopulationDrosophila melanogaster larvae

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 2, 4, and 6 hours/day for 2 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Genotoxicity (wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART); mutant clone frequency/total clone parameters)

Limitations

No sample size reported in provided text
No SAR or field strength/exposure level details reported in provided text
Exposure setup details (e.g., distance to antenna) not quantified in provided text
One exposure condition (1800 MHz, 6 hours/day) showed no statistically significant increase

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone, base station",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2, 4, and 6 hours/day for 2 days"
  },
  "population": "Drosophila melanogaster larvae",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Genotoxicity (wing Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test (SMART); mutant clone frequency/total clone parameters)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Drosophila larvae exposed to RF electromagnetic fields at 900, 1800, and 2100 MHz for 2, 4, or 6 hours/day over 2 days showed a statistically increased number of mutant clones versus negative controls in all exposure conditions except the 6-hour/day exposure at 1800 MHz, which was not statistically significant.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "No sample size reported in provided text",
    "No SAR or field strength/exposure level details reported in provided text",
    "Exposure setup details (e.g., distance to antenna) not quantified in provided text",
    "One exposure condition (1800 MHz, 6 hours/day) showed no statistically significant increase"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "genotoxicity",
    "SMART assay",
    "Somatic Mutation and Recombination Test",
    "Drosophila melanogaster",
    "900 MHz",
    "1800 MHz",
    "2100 MHz",
    "mutant clones",
    "wing trichomes"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "rf-genotoxicity",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Animal study assessing genotoxicity (SMART assay) after RF exposures at mobile-communication frequencies."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1080/15368378.2021.1878210
PubMed: 33622140

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