Effects of 2.1 GHz Electromagnetic Radiation on Locomotor Activity, Recognition Memory, and Anxiety-Related Behavior in Rats

Pilot Study of the Long-Term Effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure on the Mouse Brain

The increasing radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation pollution resulting from the development and use of technologies utilizing RF has sparked debate about the possible biological effects of said radiation. Of particular concern is the potential impact on the brain, due to the close proximity of communication devices to the head. The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of long-term exposure to RF on the brains of mice in a real-life scenario simulation compared to a laboratory setting. The animals were exposed continuously for 16 weeks to RF using a household Wi-Fi router and a laboratory device with a frequency of 2.45 GHz, and were compared to a sham-exposed group. Before and after exposure, the mice underwent behavioral tests (open-field test and Y-maze); at the end of the exposure period, the brain was harvested for histopathological analysis and assessment of DNA methylation levels. Long-term exposure of mice to 2.45 GHz RF radiation increased their locomotor activity, yet did not cause significant structural or morphological changes in their brains. Global DNA methylation was lower in exposed mice compared to sham mice. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind these effects and to understand the potential effects of RF radiation on brain function.

Electromagnetic Exposure Dosimetry Study on Two Free Rats at 1.8 GHz via Numerical Simulation

Normally, the impact of electromagnetic exposure on human health is evaluated by animal study. The biological effect caused by electromagnetic exposure on such experimental animals as rats has been proven to be dose-dependent. However, though the dose of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic exposure described by the specific absorbing rate (SAR) on fixed rats has been relatively well-studied utilizing the numerical simulations, the dosimetry study of exposure on free rat is insufficient, especially in the cases of two or more free rats. Therefore, the present work focuses on the variation of SAR caused by the existence of neighboring free rat in the same cage. Here, infrared thermography was used to record the activity of the two free rats who lived in the same cage that mounted at the far-field region in the microwave darkroom for a duration of 48 h. Then, using image processing techniques, the relative positions and orientations of the two rats are identified, which are defined by three parameters, such as the relative distance (d), relative direction angle (α), and relative orientation angle (β). Using the simulation software XFdtd 7.3, the influence of d, α, and β on the whole-body average SAR (WB-avgSAR) of the rats exposed to 1.8 GHz electromagnetic wave was calculated and analyzed. Then, the average variation of WB-avgSAR of the two rats compared with that of a single rat within 48 h was calculated. The numerical simulation results showed that the relative posture position described by (d, α, and β) of the two rats affects their WB-avgSAR and leads to fluctuations at different positions. However, the variation rate of the 48-h-average WB-avgSAR was only 10.3%, which implied that the over-time average SAR of two or more rats can be roughly described by the WB-avgSAR of a single free rat, except when a real-time precise control of exposure dose is necessary.