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Torres-Ruiz M, Suárez OJ, López V, Marina P, Sanchis A, Liste I, de Alba M, Ramos V. Effects of 700 and 3500 MHz 5G radiofrequency exposure on developing zebrafish embryos. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 915:169475. [PMID: 38199355 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Telecommunications industries are rapidly deploying the fifth generation (5G) spectrum and there is public concern about the safety and health impacts of this type of Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR), in part because of the lack of comparable scientific evidence. In this study we have used a validated commercially available setting producing a uniform field to expose zebrafish embryos (ZFe) to unmodulated 700 and 3500 MHz frequencies. We have combined a battery of toxicity, developmental and behavioral assays to further explore potential RFR effects. Our neurobehavioral profiles include a tail coiling assay, a light/dark activity assay, two thigmotaxis anxiety assays (auditory and visual stimuli), and a startle response - habituation assay in response to auditory stimuli. ZFe were exposed for 1 and 4 h during the blastula period of development and endpoints evaluated up to 120 hours post fertilization (hpf). Our results show no effects on mortality, hatching or body length. However, we have demonstrated specific organ morphological effects, and behavioral effects in activity, anxiety-like behavior, and habituation that lasted in larvae exposed during the early embryonic period. A decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity was also observed and could explain some of the observed behavioral alterations. Interestingly, effects were more pronounced in ZFe exposed to the 700 MHz frequency, and especially for the 4 h exposure period. In addition, we have demonstrated that our exposure setup is robust, flexible with regard to frequency and power testing, and highly comparable. Future work will include exposure of ZFe to 5G modulated signals for different time periods to better understand the potential health effects of novel 5G RFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Torres-Ruiz
- Environmental Toxicology Unit, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (CNSA), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ctra. Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km. 2,2., Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain
| | - Oscar J Suárez
- Radio Frequency Laboratory, Telecommunications General Secretary and Audiovisual Communication Services Ordenation, Madrid, Spain
| | - Victoria López
- Chronical Diseases Research Functional Unit (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ctra. Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km. 2,2., Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain
| | - Pablo Marina
- Telemedicine and eHealth Research Unit, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Avda. Monforte de Lemos, 5, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Aránzazu Sanchis
- Non-Ionizing Radiation Unit, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (CNSA), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ctra. Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km. 2,2., Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain
| | - Isabel Liste
- Chronical Diseases Research Functional Unit (UFIEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ctra. Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km. 2,2., Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain
| | - Mercedes de Alba
- Environmental Toxicology Unit, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental (CNSA), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ctra. Majadahonda-Pozuelo Km. 2,2., Majadahonda, Madrid 28220, Spain
| | - Victoria Ramos
- Telemedicine and eHealth Research Unit, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Avda. Monforte de Lemos, 5, Madrid 28029, Spain.
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Guo J, Ruan Y, Wang Y, Wang H, Ma S, Wan X, Zhou X, Tang Z, He Y, Zou Z, Li J. Maternal Exposure to Extreme Cold Events and Risk of Congenital Heart Defects: A Large Multicenter Study in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:3737-3746. [PMID: 38359432 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade, extreme temperature events have become more frequent and longer in duration. Previous studies on the association between extreme cold events (ECEs) and congenital heart defects (CHDs) are few and inconsistent. We conducted a national multicenter study in 1313 hospitals in 26 provinces in China and collected a total of 14 808 high CHD-risk participants from 2013 to 2021. We evaluated the ECEs experienced by each pregnant women during the embryonic period (3-8 weeks). The results indicated that ECEs experienced by pregnant women during the embryonic period were associated with the development of fetal CHD and were more strongly associated with some specific fetal CHD subtypes, such as pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary atresia, and tetralogy of Fallot. Of the CHD burden, 2.21% (95% CI: 1.43, 2.99%)-2.40% (95% CI: 1.26, 3.55%) of fetal CHD cases were attributable to ECEs during the embryonic period. Our findings emphasize the need to pay more attention to pregnant women whose embryonic period falls during the cold season to reduce cold spell detriments to newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Guo
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanping Ruan
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center in Fetal Heart Disease, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Echocardiography Medical Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaqi Wang
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Huan Wang
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Ma
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyu Wan
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxue Zhou
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center in Fetal Heart Disease, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Echocardiography Medical Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziqi Tang
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihua He
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center in Fetal Heart Disease, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
- Echocardiography Medical Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyong Zou
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Li
- Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
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Kitajima T, Schüz J, Morita A, Ikeda W, Tanaka H, Togawa K, Gabazza EC, Taki M, Toriyabe K, Ikeda T, Sokejima S. Measurement of Intermediate Frequency Magnetic Fields Generated by Household Induction Cookers for Epidemiological Studies and Development of an Exposure Estimation Model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:11912. [PMID: 36231220 PMCID: PMC9565691 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191911912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Exposure assessment of intermediate frequency (IF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is difficult and epidemiological studies are limited. In the present study, we aimed to estimate the exposure of pregnant women to IF-EMFs generated by induction cookers in the household using a questionnaire and discussed its applicability to epidemiological studies. METHOD Two main home-visit surveys were conducted: a Phase 1 survey to develop an estimation model and a Phase 2 survey to validate the model. The estimation model included the following variables: wattage, cookware diameter, and distance from the hob center (center of the stove). Four models were constructed to determine the importance of each variable and the general applicability for epidemiological studies. In addition, estimated exposure values were calculated based on the Phase 2 survey questionnaire responses and compared with the actual measured values using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. RESULT The average value of the magnetic field measured in the Phase 1 survey was 0.23 μT (variance: 0.13) at a horizontal distance of 30 cm at the height of the cooking table. The highest validity model was inputted distance from the hob center to the body surface that is variable (correlation coefficient = 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.75). No clear differences were identified in the correlation coefficients for each model (z-value: 0.09-0.18, p-value: 0.86-0.93). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS No differences were found in the validity of the four models. This could be due to the biased wattage of the validation population, and for versatility it would be preferable to use three variables (distance, wattage, and estimation using the diameter of the cookware) whenever possible. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic measurement of magnetic fields generated by more than 70 induction cookers in a real household environment. This study will contribute to finding dose-response relationships in epidemiological studies of intermediate-frequency exposure without the use of instrumentation. One of the limitations of this study is it estimates instantaneous exposure in place during cooking only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Kitajima
- Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Joachim Schüz
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO, 69372 Lyon, France
| | - Akemi Morita
- Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Wakaha Ikeda
- Epidemiology Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Mie University Hospital, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Tanaka
- Division of Surveillance and Policy Evaluation, National Cancer Center Japan Institute for Cancer Control, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Kayo Togawa
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO, 69372 Lyon, France
- Division of Surveillance and Policy Evaluation, National Cancer Center Japan Institute for Cancer Control, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
| | - Esteban C. Gabazza
- Department of Immunology, Division of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Masao Taki
- Department of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397, Japan
- Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Koganei 184-0015, Japan
| | - Kuniaki Toriyabe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Ikeda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Shigeru Sokejima
- Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
- Epidemiology Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Mie University Hospital, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
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Bodewein L, Dechent D, Graefrath D, Kraus T, Krause T, Driessen S. Systematic review of the physiological and health-related effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure from wireless communication devices on children and adolescents in experimental and epidemiological human studies. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268641. [PMID: 35648738 PMCID: PMC9159629 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For more than 20 years, the potential health risks of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) exposure from mobile communication devices on children and adolescents have been examined because they are considered sensitive population groups; however, it remains unclear whether such exposure poses any particular risk to them. OBJECTIVES The aim of this review was to systematically analyze and evaluate the physiological and health-related effects of RF EMF exposures from wireless communication devices (mobile phones, cordless phones, Bluetooth, etc.) on children and adolescents. METHODS This review was prepared according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Methodological limitations in individual studies were assessed using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) Risk-of-Bias Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies. RESULTS A total of 42 epidemiological and 11 experimental studies were eligible for this review. Most of the studies displayed several methodological weaknesses that limited the internal validity of the results. Due to a lack of consistency regarding the outcomes as well as the lack of scientific rigor in most reviewed studies, the body of evidence for the effects of RF EMF of mobile communication devices on subjective symptoms, cognition, and behavior in children and adolescents was low to inadequate. Evidence from the studies investigating early childhood development, brain activity, cancer, and physiological parameters was considered inadequate for drawing conclusions about possible effects. DISCUSSION Overall, the body of evidence allows no final conclusion on the question whether exposure to RF EMF from mobile communication devices poses a particular risk to children and adolescents. There has been rapid development in technologies generating RF EMF, which are extensively used by children and adolescents. Therefore, we strongly recommend high-quality systematic research on children and adolescents, since they are generally considered as sensitive age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lambert Bodewein
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Dagmar Dechent
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - David Graefrath
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thomas Kraus
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tobias Krause
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sarah Driessen
- Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu)–Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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