Lack of Mutation Induction with Exposure to 1.5 GHz Electromagnetic Near Fields Used for Cellular Phones in Brains of Big Blue Mice.

Takahashi S, Inaguma S, Cho Y-M, Imaida K, Wang J, Fujiwara O, Shirai T,

Cancer Res 62:1956-1960, 2002

The possible mutagenic potential of exposure to 1.5 GHz electromagnetic near field (EMF) was investigated using brain tissues of Big Blue mice (BBM). Male BBM were locally exposed to EMF in the head region at 2.0, 0.67, and 0 W/kg specific absorption rate for 90 min/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks.

No gliosis or degenerative lesions were histopathologically noted in brain tissues, and no obvious differences in Ki-67 labeling and apoptotic indices of glial cells were evident among the groups. There was no significant variation in the frequency of independent mutations of the lacI transgene in the brains.

G:C to A:T transitions at CpG sites constituted the most prevalent mutations in all groups and at all time points. Deletion mutations were slightly increased in both the high and low EMF exposure groups as compared with the sham-exposed group, but the differences were not statistically significant.

These findings suggest that exposure to 1.5 GHz EMF is not mutagenic to mouse brain cells and does not create any increased hazard with regard to brain tumor development.