Authored By:

Houston et al
Summary:

This study examined the effects radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) had on mice sperm. Mice received a whole-body RF exposure at 905 MHz with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2.2 W/Kg 12 hours a day for 1, 3 or 5 weeks. The study reported statistically significant decreases in sperm vitality and motility. Further, the study reported statistically significant increases in sperm mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and oxidative DNA damage. There were no changes reported in the fertility of the RF EMF treated mice. The authors concluded that sustained whole-body RF EMF is capable of inducing oxidative damage in sperm DNA.

Published In:

Scientific Reports. 2019
Commentary by ARPANSA:

This study exposed mice to very high levels of RF EMF. The public whole-body average SAR limit is 0.08 W/kg. This means the study exposed these mice to RF EMF that was over 27 times higher than the human public exposure limit. The study did not investigate the effect of heat stress or measure the temperature of the exposed mice. Another study investigating the effect of heat stress on fertility of mice reported similar results on sperm (Pérez‐Crespo et al, 2008). This indicates that the reported results likely occurred as a result of heating rather than being a sub-thermal effect. The ARPANSA radiofrequency exposure standard RPS3 gives limits for exposure that protect against any known biological effects. The only established effect of exposure is heating of biological tissue. The limits set for both public and occupational exposure are many times below the level where any measurable heating occurs, ensuring a large degree of conservatism within the standard.

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