volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

Simultaneous exposure to multiple electromagnetic signals with widely differing carrier frequencies is a reality of daily life, but its possible effects on health are unknown. In this study we exposed rats to non-thermal levels of 900 and 2450 MHz TEM-mode radiation, applied individually or simultaneously, and we obtained estimates of 1 g mean SAR (specific absorption rate) in various tissues using a numerical model of the rat and finite-difference time-domain software. The experimental system comprised a GTEM (gigahertz TEM) chamber connected to two vector signal generators, a signal mixer and amplifier, a directional coupler, a spectrum analyzer and a power meter. Tissue sections from rats sacrificed 24 h after exposure, and from negative controls and positive controls exposed to gamma radiation, were stained with haematoxylin-eosin for evaluation of general cell morphology and with DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) for evaluation of apoptosis. Lesions, tissue destruction and apoptosis were only observed in positive controls. The results for rats exposed to either frequency, or to both simultaneously, were similar to those of unexposed negative controls. It remains to determine whether chronic exposure is similarly innocuous.

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Dr. Alberto López-Furelos

Dr. Maria del Mar Miñana-Maiques

Dr. Jose Manuel Leiro-Vidal

Dr. Juan Antonio Rodríguez-Gonzalez

Professor Francisco Ares-Pena

Dr. Maria Elena Lopez-Martin