Bio-physical effects of RF EMR on blood parameters, spermatozoa, liver, kidney and heart of albino rats

2018 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1969

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2018

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Bio-physical effects of RF EMR on blood parameters, spermatozoa, liver, kidney and heart of albino rats Adebayo EA, Adeeyo AO, Ogundiran MA, Olabisi O. Bio-physical effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (rf-emr) on blood parameters, spermatozoa, liver, kidney and heart of albino rats. Journal of King Saud University - Science. 15 Nov 2018. doi.org. Abstract Current study aimed at determining the consequence of Radiofrequency (≈1800 MHz) electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) on the histological, hematological and histochemical properties of selected tissues of rat and to assess morphological changes associated with such exposures. Three groups of thirty rats of which two groups of twenty rats were subjected to average radiation of ≈1.40 mW/cm2 at 24 m from the base of two different telecommunications network mast for 5 weeks. Histochemical, haematological and histological analyses of the rats were afterward carried out on selected tissues of the experimental animals using standard procedures. Impacts of radiation were noted in the exposed groups of rats. There was rise in white blood cells with variations in other blood parameters; the sperm motility and sperm count of the exposed rats is lower than the control; the liver of the exposed rats shows pronounced dilated sinusoids, distorted architecture, hyperchromatic nuclei, congested central vein, with change of hepatocytes structure; the heart shows gross distortion of cardiac muscular architecture with distorted irregular cardiac muscle fibres and wider interfibres spaces; kidney showing hyperchromatic nuclei, gradual loss and degeneration of flattened squamous epithelial cells lining and testis shows grossly distorted seminiferous tubules and epididymis with loss of cellular structure and an area of inflammatory changes with complete absence of spermatozoa, which may lead to low fertility. This study shows that radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation may induce morphological changes in various tissues of living systems in rat. Conclusion From the data presented in this study, it can be observed that impact of RF-EMR from telecommunication base stations are reasonably manifested on internal organs in a similar manner observed in ionizing radiation studies. Some of the organs examined showed histological, hematological and histochemical changes which are different from normal. The study established that the reproductive organs of male rats were seriously impaired, which may have similar effect on higher mammal. It is recommended that further research to study the long term effect of RF-EMR from telecommunication on living systems in Nigeria be intensified. Open access paper: sciencedirect.com

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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

PopulationAlbino rats

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 5 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Rats exposed to RF-EMR (~1800 MHz; ~1.40 mW/cm2 at 24 m from telecommunications masts for 5 weeks) showed changes versus controls, including increased white blood cells with variations in other blood parameters, reduced sperm motility and sperm count, and multiple histological alterations in liver, heart, kidney, and male reproductive tissues (including reported absence of spermatozoa in epididymis). The authors conclude RF-EMR may induce morphological changes in various rat tissues.

Outcomes measured

Hematological parameters (e.g., white blood cells and other blood parameters)
Sperm motility
Sperm count
Histology/histochemistry of liver
Histology of heart
Histology of kidney
Histology of testis/epididymis

Limitations

Exposure described as occurring at 24 m from base stations; details on exposure characterization beyond average power density are limited in the abstract (e.g., SAR not reported).
Group allocation and exact numbers per group are unclear/inconsistently described in the abstract ("three groups of thirty rats"; "two groups of twenty rats").
No quantitative results, statistical methods, or variance measures are provided in the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "base station",
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "5 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Albino rats",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Hematological parameters (e.g., white blood cells and other blood parameters)",
    "Sperm motility",
    "Sperm count",
    "Histology/histochemistry of liver",
    "Histology of heart",
    "Histology of kidney",
    "Histology of testis/epididymis"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to RF-EMR (~1800 MHz; ~1.40 mW/cm2 at 24 m from telecommunications masts for 5 weeks) showed changes versus controls, including increased white blood cells with variations in other blood parameters, reduced sperm motility and sperm count, and multiple histological alterations in liver, heart, kidney, and male reproductive tissues (including reported absence of spermatozoa in epididymis). The authors conclude RF-EMR may induce morphological changes in various rat tissues.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure described as occurring at 24 m from base stations; details on exposure characterization beyond average power density are limited in the abstract (e.g., SAR not reported).",
    "Group allocation and exact numbers per group are unclear/inconsistently described in the abstract (\"three groups of thirty rats\"; \"two groups of twenty rats\").",
    "No quantitative results, statistical methods, or variance measures are provided in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation",
    "RF-EMR",
    "1800 MHz",
    "telecommunications network mast",
    "base station",
    "power density",
    "rats",
    "hematology",
    "sperm motility",
    "sperm count",
    "liver histology",
    "kidney histology",
    "heart histology",
    "testis",
    "epididymis"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Exposure source is telecommunications base stations; could relate to environmental/near-field exposure contexts, though not explicitly occupational."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1016/j.jksus.2018.11.007
PubMed: Not supplied

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