RF Safe

Morphometric analysis - effect of the radiofrequency interface of electromagnetic field on the size of hatched Dermacentor reticulatus larvae.

Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM · 2021 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5675

Larvae hatched from eggs exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMF for 60 minutes had larger dimensions across all measured body traits compared with the unexposed control group and the other exposure-duration groups (30 and 90 minutes).

Study snapshot

PublicationAnnals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM · 2021
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Electromagnetic radiation interactions with living systems have been one of determining factors in biological evolution. This study investigates the effect of 900 MHz radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetics field (EMF) exposure of eggs on the development of Dermacentor reticulatus larvae. The basic objective was to determine whether the 900 MHz RF-EMF has the potential to influence the size of the body of the hatched larvae of D. reticulatus ticks. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To this aim, eggs from 3 fully engorged females of D. reticulatus were included in the test procedure. Altogether four groups of eggs were designated which included eggs from each female. We used RF-EMF frequency of 900 MHz. Eggs were exposed to EMF for different time periods (30, 60 and 90 minutes) in dark, electromagnetically shielded anechoic chamber. After the irradiation eggs were allowed to hatch in climatic chamber. Randomly selected 200 larval individuals were measured to get basic morphological records. Four body traits including the total body length (TBL), length of gnathosoma with scutum (GSL), the total body width (TBW), and the width of basis capituli (BCW) were measured. RESULTS: The D. reticulatus larvae hatched from eggs exposed for 60 minutes, had demonstrably larger dimensions of all measured body traits not only as a control unexposed group but also as other experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows, particularly, that artificial EMF that is used in smartphone technology impacts seriously D. reticulatus larvae development.

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
PopulationDermacentor reticulatus (tick) eggs/hatched larvae
Sample size200
ExposureRF · 900 MHz · 30, 60 and 90 minutes (egg exposure)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Larvae hatched from eggs exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMF for 60 minutes had larger dimensions across all measured body traits compared with the unexposed control group and the other exposure-duration groups (30 and 90 minutes).

Outcomes measured

  • Larval morphometrics: total body length (TBL)
  • Larval morphometrics: length of gnathosoma with scutum (GSL)
  • Larval morphometrics: total body width (TBW)
  • Larval morphometrics: width of basis capituli (BCW)

Limitations

  • Eggs were obtained from 3 fully engorged females (limited number of parent individuals).
  • Exposure metric reported only as frequency and duration; no SAR or field strength provided in the abstract.
  • Only morphometric outcomes reported; no other developmental or health endpoints described in the abstract.
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "smartphone technology",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "30, 60 and 90 minutes (egg exposure)"
  },
  "population": "Dermacentor reticulatus (tick) eggs/hatched larvae",
  "sample_size": 200,
  "outcomes": [
    "Larval morphometrics: total body length (TBL)",
    "Larval morphometrics: length of gnathosoma with scutum (GSL)",
    "Larval morphometrics: total body width (TBW)",
    "Larval morphometrics: width of basis capituli (BCW)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Larvae hatched from eggs exposed to 900 MHz RF-EMF for 60 minutes had larger dimensions across all measured body traits compared with the unexposed control group and the other exposure-duration groups (30 and 90 minutes).",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Eggs were obtained from 3 fully engorged females (limited number of parent individuals).",
    "Exposure metric reported only as frequency and duration; no SAR or field strength provided in the abstract.",
    "Only morphometric outcomes reported; no other developmental or health endpoints described in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency",
    "RF-EMF",
    "900 MHz",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "smartphone technology",
    "Dermacentor reticulatus",
    "tick",
    "eggs",
    "larvae",
    "morphometrics",
    "development",
    "anechoic chamber"
  ],
  "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: 10.26444/aaem/139289
PubMed: 34558264

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