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Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 111, Number 7, June 2003
[ Citation in PubMed ] [ Related Articles]
Nerve Cell Damage in Mammalian Brain after Exposure to Microwaves from GSM Mobile Phones
Leif G. Salford,1 Arne E. Brun,2 Jacob L. Eberhardt,3 Lars Malmgren,4 and Bertil R. R. Persson3
1Department of Neurosurgery, 2Department of Neuropathology, 3Department of Medical Radiation Physics, and 4Department of Applied Electronics, Lund University, The Rausing Laboratory and Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
Abstract
The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain barrier. In this study we investigated whether a pathologic leakage across the blood-brain barrier might be combined with damage to the neurons. Three groups each of eight rats were exposed for 2 hr to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile phone electromagnetic fields of different strengths. We found highly significant (p < 0.002) evidence for neuronal damage in the cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia in the brains of exposed rats. Key words: blood-brain barrier, central nervous system, microwaves, mobile phones, neuronal damage, rats. Environ Health Perspect 111:881-883 (2003). doi:10.1289/ehp.6039 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 29 January 2003]
Address correspondence to L.G. Salford, Dept. of Neurosurgery, Lund University Hospital, S-221 85 Lund, Sweden. Telephone: 46-46-171270. Fax: 46-46-188150. E-mail: Leif.Salford@neurokir.lu.seWe thank S. Strömblad and C. Blennow at the Rausing Laboratory for excellent technical assistance.
The work was supported by a grant from the Swedish Council for Work Life Research.
The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.
Received 4 October 2002; accepted 28 January 2003.