Oxidative Stress Induced by Wireless Communication Electromagnetic Fields

2022 · Harm · High evidence

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HarmHigh evidencePaper 6759

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typesystematic_review

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingHigh

Abstract

This chapter describes experimental data on oxidative effects induced by man-made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and corresponding electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in living cells. Analysis of the currently available peer-reviewed scientific literature reveals important molecular effects induced by non-thermal exposures to man-made EMFs, especially wireless communication (WC) EMFs, in living cells. They include significant activation of key cellular pathways generating oxidative stress (OS) by reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of peroxidation, oxidative damage of DNA, and changes in activities of antioxidant enzymes. Critically important features of man-made EMFs, compared to natural EMFs, are their totally polarized and coherent character and, in the case of WC EMFs, combined frequency bands and sophisticated modulation. These features provide these types of EMFs/EMR with the unique and unexpected capacity of inducing biological effects such as pronounced oxidative effects in exposed living cells. It is indicative that among 131 analyzed peer-reviewed studies dealing with oxidative effects of non-thermal Radio Frequency (RF) EMFs, mostly pulsed/modulated by Extremely Low Frequencies (ELF), 124 (95%) confirmed statistically significant oxidative effects on various types of biological systems. And among 39 analyzed studies on oxidative effects of purely ELF EMFs, 36 of them (92%) also revealed significant oxidative effects of the exposure. The wide pathogenic potential of induced ROS and their involvement in cell signaling explains a range of biological/health effects of non-thermal man-made EMF exposures, which includes both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pathologies. In conclusion, our analysis demonstrates that a) man-made EMFs, and especially those employed in WC combining both RF and ELF components, is a pronounced oxidative agent for living cells with high pathogenic potential; and b) the OS induced by man-made EMF exposures should be recognized as one of the primary mechanisms of biological activity of this new environmental agent. Evidence: High over 100 studies

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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 typesystematic_review

Effect directionharm

Populationliving cells

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF and ELF

Evidence strengthHighConfidence: 90% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Analysis of 131 peer-reviewed studies showed that 95% confirmed statistically significant oxidative effects induced by non-thermal RF EMFs, mostly pulsed/modulated by ELF, in various biological systems. Similarly, 92% of 39 studies on purely ELF EMFs revealed significant oxidative effects. The oxidative stress induced by man-made EMFs, especially wireless communication EMFs combining RF and ELF components, is a pronounced oxidative agent with high pathogenic potential in living cells.

Outcomes measured

oxidative stress
reactive oxygen species generation
peroxidation
oxidative DNA damage
changes in antioxidant enzyme activities

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "systematic_review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF and ELF",
    "source": "wireless communication",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "living cells",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "oxidative stress",
    "reactive oxygen species generation",
    "peroxidation",
    "oxidative DNA damage",
    "changes in antioxidant enzyme activities"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Analysis of 131 peer-reviewed studies showed that 95% confirmed statistically significant oxidative effects induced by non-thermal RF EMFs, mostly pulsed/modulated by ELF, in various biological systems. Similarly, 92% of 39 studies on purely ELF EMFs revealed significant oxidative effects. The oxidative stress induced by man-made EMFs, especially wireless communication EMFs combining RF and ELF components, is a pronounced oxidative agent with high pathogenic potential in living cells.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "high",
  "confidence": 0.9,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "oxidative stress",
    "EMF",
    "wireless communication",
    "reactive oxygen species",
    "non-thermal effects",
    "radio frequency",
    "extremely low frequency"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.7,
      "reason": "Focus on wireless communication EMFs including RF and ELF components relevant to 5G technologies."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1201/9781003201052-6
PubMed: Not supplied

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