Effects of simultaneous combined exposure to CDMA and WCDMA electromagnetic field on immune functions in rats.

International journal of radiation biology · 2012 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 4513

Eight-week simultaneous exposure to CDMA (849 MHz) and WCDMA (1.95 GHz) at 2.0 W/kg each (total SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 45 min/day did not affect the measured immune parameters in rats.

Study snapshot

PublicationInternational journal of radiation biology · 2012

Study typeanimal

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

PURPOSE: Despite the importance of the immune system in defending the body against infection and cancer, little research on the possible effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) signals on immune functions exists, and, in the case of simultaneous combined exposure of RF-EMF, to the best of our knowledge no work has been done. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of simultaneous exposure to two types of RF-EMF signals, single code division multiple access (CDMA) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) signals on the immune system of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to RF-EMF for 45 min/day, 5 days/week for up to 8 weeks. The whole body average specific absorption rate (SAR) of CDMA or WCDMA was 2.0 W/kg. Every 2 weeks after the experiment began, 20 rats were autopsied. Blood hematology, subtype population of splenocytes and cytokine production or mRNA expressions, interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-1β, interferon (IFN)-γ and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β from the splenocytes or IL-6, TNF-α, and immunoglobulin (Ig) of IgG and IgM from blood serum, were examined. RESULTS: The results suggest that 8-week exposure to CDMA (849 MHz) and WCDMA (1.95 GHz) RF simultaneously at 2.0 W/kg each for 45-min RF-EMF exposure (total, 4 W/kg) did not affect these immune parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The present experiments suggest that simultaneous combined exposure of CDMA and WCDMA with total SAR dose of 4.0 W/kg for 45 min/day for 8 weeks, which is a relatively high SAR level compared to the exposure levels for the human system recommended by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP, 0.4W/kg for whole body exposure levels and 2.0 W/kg for local exposure levels of general public), did not have any detectable effects on immune function in rats.

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 directionno_effect

PopulationMale Sprague-Dawley rats

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 4 W/kg · 45 min/day, 5 days/week, up to 8 weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Eight-week simultaneous exposure to CDMA (849 MHz) and WCDMA (1.95 GHz) at 2.0 W/kg each (total SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 45 min/day did not affect the measured immune parameters in rats.

Outcomes measured

Blood hematology
Subtype population of splenocytes
Cytokine production or mRNA expression from splenocytes (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, TGF-β)
Serum IL-6
Serum TNF-α
Serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM)

Limitations

Sample size not stated in the abstract/metadata
Only male rats were studied
Exposure duration limited to up to 8 weeks
Immune assessment limited to selected hematology, splenocyte subtypes, cytokines/mRNA, and serum markers

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "CDMA and WCDMA signals (simultaneous combined exposure)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 4,
    "duration": "45 min/day, 5 days/week, up to 8 weeks"
  },
  "population": "Male Sprague-Dawley rats",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Blood hematology",
    "Subtype population of splenocytes",
    "Cytokine production or mRNA expression from splenocytes (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, TGF-β)",
    "Serum IL-6",
    "Serum TNF-α",
    "Serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Eight-week simultaneous exposure to CDMA (849 MHz) and WCDMA (1.95 GHz) at 2.0 W/kg each (total SAR 4.0 W/kg) for 45 min/day did not affect the measured immune parameters in rats.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not stated in the abstract/metadata",
    "Only male rats were studied",
    "Exposure duration limited to up to 8 weeks",
    "Immune assessment limited to selected hematology, splenocyte subtypes, cytokines/mRNA, and serum markers"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic field",
    "RF-EMF",
    "CDMA",
    "WCDMA",
    "simultaneous combined exposure",
    "SAR",
    "rats",
    "immune function",
    "splenocytes",
    "cytokines",
    "IL-6",
    "TNF-α",
    "IL-1β",
    "IFN-γ",
    "TGF-β",
    "IgG",
    "IgM"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Abstract explicitly references ICNIRP recommended exposure levels for comparison."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.3109/09553002.2012.711501
PubMed: 22788572

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