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Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low-Power 915 MHz Unmodulated Radiation on Phaseolus vulgaris L.

2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1621

Plants continuously exposed to an unmodulated 915 MHz signal (max power density 10 mW/m2 near plants) showed significant differences versus reference plants, including increased height and dry mass, fewer inflorescences, increased root dry mass, altered chlor…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low-Power 915 MHz Unmodulated Radiation on Phaseolus vulgaris L. Surducan V, Surducan E, Neamtu C, Mot AC, Ciorîță A. Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low-Power 915 MHz Unmodulated Radiation on Phaseolus vulgaris L. Bioelectromagnetics. 2020 Feb 6. doi: 10.1002/bem.22253. Abstract The morphophysiological response of Phaseolus vulgaris L. to low-power electromagnetic radiation was investigated in order to assess the potential harmful effects of long-term continuous exposure. The plants were grown in two separate electromagnetic field (EMF) shielded rooms, in a controlled, greenhouse-like environment. One batch was continuously irradiated during the growth period (from sowing to maturity) and the other one was used as a reference. An unmodulated signal at 915 MHz (the central frequency between the uplink and downlink of the GSM900 mobile communications band) was used, with a maximum power density of 10 mW/m2 measured near the plants. The plants were analyzed using ultraviolet-visible, statistical, morphometric, and electron microscopy methods. Significant differences were observed regarding the height of the plants, number of inflorescences, and chlorophyll and carotenoid content, all closely connected with the ultrastructural changes observed in the leaves. The irradiated batch grew higher (19% increase in plant height, 20% increase in stem and leaves' dry mass), with 18% fewer inflorescences, and extremely long roots (34% increase in dry mass). The ultrastructure of the irradiated leaves showed irregular cells and a higher content of plastoglobules in the chloroplasts. All results indicate that the irradiated plants suffered significant morphological modifications during their long-term exposure to the specific EM radiation. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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 directionmixed
PopulationPhaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) plants
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF · 915 MHz · continuous exposure during growth period (from sowing to maturity)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Plants continuously exposed to an unmodulated 915 MHz signal (max power density 10 mW/m2 near plants) showed significant differences versus reference plants, including increased height and dry mass, fewer inflorescences, increased root dry mass, altered chlorophyll/carotenoid content, and leaf ultrastructural changes (irregular cells and higher plastoglobule content in chloroplasts). The authors interpret these as significant morphological modifications during long-term exposure.

Outcomes measured

  • Plant height
  • Stem and leaves dry mass
  • Number of inflorescences
  • Root dry mass
  • Chlorophyll content
  • Carotenoid content
  • Leaf ultrastructure (electron microscopy; plastoglobules, cell irregularities)

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • No SAR reported (only maximum power density near plants)
  • Details of randomization/blinding not reported in abstract
  • Single frequency and unmodulated signal; generalizability to other RF exposures unclear
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "other",
    "frequency_mhz": 915,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "continuous exposure during growth period (from sowing to maturity)"
  },
  "population": "Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) plants",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Plant height",
    "Stem and leaves dry mass",
    "Number of inflorescences",
    "Root dry mass",
    "Chlorophyll content",
    "Carotenoid content",
    "Leaf ultrastructure (electron microscopy; plastoglobules, cell irregularities)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Plants continuously exposed to an unmodulated 915 MHz signal (max power density 10 mW/m2 near plants) showed significant differences versus reference plants, including increased height and dry mass, fewer inflorescences, increased root dry mass, altered chlorophyll/carotenoid content, and leaf ultrastructural changes (irregular cells and higher plastoglobule content in chloroplasts). The authors interpret these as significant morphological modifications during long-term exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "No SAR reported (only maximum power density near plants)",
    "Details of randomization/blinding not reported in abstract",
    "Single frequency and unmodulated signal; generalizability to other RF exposures unclear"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "915 MHz",
    "unmodulated",
    "RF",
    "GSM900",
    "power density",
    "Phaseolus vulgaris",
    "plants",
    "morphology",
    "chlorophyll",
    "carotenoids",
    "electron microscopy",
    "long-term exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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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: 10.1002/bem.22253
PubMed: Not supplied

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