ID Number		526
Study Type		In Vivo
Model		9 GHz (GSM) exposure as well as field exposure from an "antenna park" in Greece to mice, rats, and quail and analysis of reproduction and teratogenic effects
Details		BalbC mice set in cages on a hill near an "antenna park" in Greece near the city of Chortiatis and repeatedly mated 5 times. RF power densities at the sites ranged between 168 nW/cm2 and 1053 nW/cm2. Controls were kept inside the laboratory and may not have been exposed to the same confounding factors as mice in the field cages. The authors observed a progressive decrease in fertility with distance to the RF towers as well as improved prenatal development. In a subsequent study presented at the Millenium Int'l Workshop, Heraklion, Greece 2000, rat and quail embryos were exposed to 9.2 GHz (PW) for 4 days (either continuously or for 6 hr/day) during periods of fertilization or gestation using a power density of 5 uW/cm2. The 9.2 GHz frequency was chosen as proportional to 900 MHz cell phone signals in humans given the size of the test animals. Significant decreases in birth rate and fetal mortality were observed in both rats and quail, although no change in developmental abnormalities was noted. In rats, the uteri was reported to have pathological abnormalities in exposed dams. In a subsequent study, pregnant Wistar rats were exposed 9.4 GHz RF with a GSM modulation at a calculated SAR (FDTD) of 0.5 mW/kg during embryogenesis, preimplantation (gestation days 1-3) or during early organogenesis, and peri-implantation stages (gestation days 4-7). Various bone morphogenetic proteins and their receptors in newborn kidney tissues were analyzed using rtPCR methods and found to be altered (some increased, some decreased) in expression following either exposure during gestation days 1-3 or 4-7. The authors interpret this findings as suggesting that GSM-like RF exposure can have variable effects on gene expression during early gestation, although they did not observe altered renal organ development.
Findings		Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Funding Agency		Private/Instit.
Country		GREECE
References		Pyrpasopoulou, A et al. Bioelectromagnetics, (2004) 25:216-227 Magras, IN et al. Bioelectromagnetics, (1997) 18:455-461
Comments		The first study was critiqued negatively for a lack of control of confounding factors in the study design.