Effects of low level electromagnetic field exposure at 2.45 GHz on rat cornea.

International journal of radiation biology · 2013 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4634

Study snapshot

PublicationInternational journal of radiation biology · 2013

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of low level electromagnetic field (low level-EMF) exposure, as frequently encountered in daily life, on the normal rat cornea using histological and stereological method. METHODS: Twenty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: Study group (n = 11) and control group (n = 11). Rats in the study group were exposed to 2.45 GHz microwave (MW) radiation (11.96 ± 0.89 V/m), 0.25 W/kg specific absorption rate (SAR) for 2 hours each day for 21 days. The corneal thickness and the anterior epithelium corneal thickness were measured using two different methods. RESULTS: Using the histological method, the mean corneal thicknesses in the control and study group were 278.9 ± 54.5 μm, and 272.4 ± 85.6 μm, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p > 0.05). The anterior corneal epithelium thickness was 28.1 ± 4.9 μm in the control group and 31.7 ± 5.5 μm in the study group. There were statistically differences between the groups with regard to the thickness of anterior epithelium (p < 0.05). In the measurement made by the stereological method, the percentage of the cornea occupied by anterior corneal epithelium was 15.94% in the control group and 17.9% in the study group. Despite the fact that there was a relation between increased anterior epithelial area (AEA) and radiation exposure, no statistically significant relationship in area fraction of each compartment was found between the control and study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this preliminary study show that exposure to MW radiation might cause alterations in the rat cornea.

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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

PopulationAdult male Wistar rats

Sample size22

Exposuremicrowave · 2450 MHz · 0.25 W/kg · 2 hours/day for 21 days

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Rats exposed to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation (11.96 ± 0.89 V/m; SAR 0.25 W/kg) showed no statistically significant difference in mean corneal thickness versus controls (p > 0.05). Anterior corneal epithelium thickness was higher in the exposed group than controls by histological measurement (p < 0.05), while stereological assessment found no statistically significant differences in area fractions of corneal compartments.

Outcomes measured

Corneal thickness
Anterior corneal epithelium thickness
Percentage of cornea occupied by anterior corneal epithelium (area fraction/AEA)

Limitations

Described as a preliminary study
Small sample size (n=11 per group)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": 0.25,
    "duration": "2 hours/day for 21 days"
  },
  "population": "Adult male Wistar rats",
  "sample_size": 22,
  "outcomes": [
    "Corneal thickness",
    "Anterior corneal epithelium thickness",
    "Percentage of cornea occupied by anterior corneal epithelium (area fraction/AEA)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Rats exposed to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation (11.96 ± 0.89 V/m; SAR 0.25 W/kg) showed no statistically significant difference in mean corneal thickness versus controls (p > 0.05). Anterior corneal epithelium thickness was higher in the exposed group than controls by histological measurement (p < 0.05), while stereological assessment found no statistically significant differences in area fractions of corneal compartments.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Described as a preliminary study",
    "Small sample size (n=11 per group)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "2.45 GHz",
    "microwave radiation",
    "low level EMF",
    "SAR",
    "rat",
    "cornea",
    "histology",
    "stereology",
    "corneal thickness",
    "anterior epithelium"
  ],
  "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: 10.3109/09553002.2013.754557
PubMed: 23206266

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