Effects of long-term pre- and post-natal exposure to 2.45 GHz wireless devices on developing male rat kidney

Abstract

Purpose The aim of the present study was to investigate oxidative stress and apoptosis in kidney tissues of male Wistar rats that pre-and postnatally exposed to wireless electromagnetic field (EMF) with an internet frequency of 2.45 GHz for a long time. Methods The study was conducted in three groups of rats which were pre-natal, post-natal. and sham exposed groups. Oxidative stress markers and histological evaluation of kidney tissues were studied. Results Renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidant (TOS) levels of pre-natal group were high and total antioxidant (TAS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were low. Spot urine NAG/ creatinine ratio was significantly higher in pre-and post-natal groups (p50.001). Tubular injury was detected in most of the specimens in post-natal groups. Immunohistochemical analysis showed low-intensity staining with Bax in cortex, high-intensity staining with Bcl-2 in cortical and medullar areas of pre-natal group (p values, 0.000, 0.002, 0.000, respectively) when compared with sham group. Bcl2/Bax staining intensity ratios of medullar and cortical area was higher in pre-natal group than sham group (p ¼ 0.018, p ¼ 0.011). Conclusion Based on this study, it is thought that chronic pre-and post-natal period exposure to wireless internet frequency of EMF may cause chronic kidney damages; staying away from EMF source in especially pregnancy and early childhood period may reduce negative effects of exposure on kidney.ARTICLE HISTORY

Radioprotection in Prenatal Care Using a Nonwoven Fabric with Electromagnetic Shielding Property

“…Additionally, EM field group samples exhibited glomerular capillary degeneration with capillary basement membranes (21). In a recent study, the effects of kidney growth on pre-and postnatal male rats exposed to 2.45 GHz electromagnetic field were examined, and tubular degeneration was observed in the kidneys (5). In another study, male rats were exposed to 2100 MHz electromagnetic field, and a large number of positively stained renal tubular epithelial cells were observed with deterioration of the brush border of renal tubules (22).…”

“…The setup consisted of a specifically designed Plexiglass platform assembled with six separate plastic rat holders positioned radially in a hexagonal formation, similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 1 and described in a previous study (5). EM field was created by the electronic transmitter unit depicted in Figure 2 (10).…”

“…Exposure to high EM field induces greater effects in developing systems than in mature organs. Long-time exposure to wireless internet frequency at the pre-and postnatal periods was reported to cause chronic kidney damage (5). From this aspect alone, maternal cell phone or wireless usage during pregnancy is of great concern (5)(6)(7)(8)(9).…”

The impact of electromagnetic radiation emitted by LCD monitors on selected blood cell counts - in vitro studies

“…The effects of devices emitting electromagnetic field on human health have become the subject of intense research among scientists due to the rapid increase in their use. Based on Kuybulu et al study, it is thought that chronic preand post-natal period exposure to wireless internet frequency of EMF may cause chronic kidney damages; staying away from EMF source in especially pregnancy and early childhood period may reduce negative effects of exposure on kidney [13].…”

Possible Effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure on Central Nerve System

“…There are many controversies regarding RF-EMF exposure, but many of the studies have focused on cancer (Morgan et al ., 2015), genetic damage (Kim et al ., 2008; Ruediger, 2009), neurological disease (Jiang et al ., 2016; Kim et al ., 2017b), reproductive disorders (Falzone et al ., 2011; Altun et al ., 2018), immune dysfunction (Kazemi et al ., 2015; Ohtani et al ., 2015), kidney damage (Kuybulu et al ., 2016; Türedi et al ., 2017), as well as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (Gruber et al ., 2018), and cognitive effects (Son et al ., 2018). However, the possible biological effects of exposure to RF-EMF have not yet been proven and there are insufficient data on the biological hazards to provide a clear answer to possible health risks.…”