Effects of 900 MHz electromagnetic field emitted by cellular phones on electrocardiograms of guinea pigs.

Human & experimental toxicology · 2014 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 4562

Guinea pigs exposed to 890–915 MHz EMF from cellular phones for 12 h/day over 30 days showed no significant effects on ECG findings compared with controls.

Study snapshot

PublicationHuman & experimental toxicology · 2014

Study typeanimal

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by cellular phones (CPs) on electrocardiograms (ECGs) of guinea pigs. A total of 30 healthy guinea pigs weighing 500-800 g were used. After 1 week of adaptation period, animals were randomly divided into two groups: control group (n = 10) and EMF-exposed group (n = 20). Control guinea pigs were housed in a separate room without exposing them to EMFs of CPs. Animals in second group were exposed to 890-915 MHz EMF (217 Hz of pulse rate, 2 W of maximum peak power and 0.95 wt kg(-1) of specific absorption rate) for 12 h day(-1) (11 h 45 min stand-by and 15 min speaking mode) for 30 days. ECGs of guinea pigs in both the groups were recorded by a direct writing electrocardiograph at the beginning and 10th, 20th and 30th days of the experiment. All ECGs were standardized at 1 mV = 10 mm and with a chart speed of 50 mm sec(-1). Leads I, II, III, lead augmented vector right (aVR), lead augmented vector left (aVL) and lead augmented vector foot (aVF) were recorded. The durations and amplitudes of waves on the trace were measured in lead II. The data were expressed as mean with SEM. It was found that 12 h day(-1) EMF exposure for 30 days did not have any significant effects on ECG findings of guinea pigs. However, this issue needed to be further investigated in a variety of perspectives, such as longer duration of exposure to be able to elucidate the effects of mobile phone-induced EMFs on cardiovascular functions.

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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 directionno_effect

PopulationHealthy guinea pigs (500–800 g)

Sample size30

ExposureRF · 0.95 W/kg · 12 h/day (11 h 45 min stand-by and 15 min speaking mode) for 30 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Guinea pigs exposed to 890–915 MHz EMF from cellular phones for 12 h/day over 30 days showed no significant effects on ECG findings compared with controls.

Outcomes measured

Electrocardiogram (ECG) findings (durations and amplitudes of waves measured in lead II)

Limitations

Authors note a need for further investigation, including longer exposure duration, to elucidate potential effects on cardiovascular functions.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile phone",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": 0.95,
    "duration": "12 h/day (11 h 45 min stand-by and 15 min speaking mode) for 30 days"
  },
  "population": "Healthy guinea pigs (500–800 g)",
  "sample_size": 30,
  "outcomes": [
    "Electrocardiogram (ECG) findings (durations and amplitudes of waves measured in lead II)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Guinea pigs exposed to 890–915 MHz EMF from cellular phones for 12 h/day over 30 days showed no significant effects on ECG findings compared with controls.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Authors note a need for further investigation, including longer exposure duration, to elucidate potential effects on cardiovascular functions."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "900 MHz",
    "890–915 MHz",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "cellular phone",
    "RF exposure",
    "guinea pig",
    "electrocardiogram",
    "SAR 0.95 W/kg",
    "cardiovascular"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "mobile-phones",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure source is electromagnetic field emitted by cellular phones (890–915 MHz)."
    },
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Experimental study in guinea pigs assessing physiological outcomes (ECG)."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1177/0960327113482596
PubMed: 24220873

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