Swiss expert group on electromagnetic fields and non-ionising radiation (BERENIS): Analysis of 2 studies: (1) Partial replication of NTP study (2) Millimeter waves and DNA

We thought the analysis by BERENIS of these two studies would interest readers.

Summaries and assessments of selected studies

Swiss expert group on electromagnetic fields and non-ionising radiation (BERENIS), March 2023

Newsletter no.32 in English, French, German

In the period from mid of April 2022 to mid of July 2022, 128 new publications have been identified, and four of these were discussed in depth by BERENIS. Based on the selection criteria, two of these publications were selected as the most relevant ones. Their summaries and assessments are provided below. 

1) Experimental animal and cell studies

An international collaboration on carcinogenicity of radiofrequency electromagnetic field in experimental animals (partial replication of the NTP study in rats): introducing the project design (Ahn et al. 2022).

 In 2019, a partial replication of the NTP study (see special issue November 2018) was started in Asia, investigating effects of CDMA1 (900 MHz) RF-EMF on carcinogenesis in experimental animals (rats), especially brain tumours (glioma) and cardiac schwannoma, as well as genotoxicity. The project will run for a total of five years, and the animal studies will be conducted in Japan as well as in South Korea. (continue reading in newsletter)

Ahn YH, Imaida K, Kim YB, Han KH, Pack JK, Kim N, Jeon SB, Lee AK, Choi HD, Wang J, Kawabe M, Kim HS (2022): An International Collaborative Animal Study of the Carcinogenicity of Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation: Considerations for Preparation of a Global Project. Bioelectromagnetics. 2022 Apr 27. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35476263/


The influence of millimeter waves on gene activity and the secondary structure of DNA (Lawler et al. 2022) 

Non-thermal effects of RF-EMF in the range of millimeter waves (MMW) on biological systems have been sparsely studied so far. In order to identify possible biological effects of a 60 GHz RF-EMF, Lawler and colleagues (2022) conducted an in vitro study assessing genome-wide gene expression in human primary fibroblasts. A newly developed exposure system based on a beam continuously exposed cells in phases to minimise thermal effects. The power density of 2.6 mW/cm2 was above the limit values (2 mW/cm2 for 6 min and 1 mW/cm2 for 30 min), and daily doses of 46.8 J/cm2 were administered in a time window of 5 hours during 4 days. 

The authors reported that the gene expression of about 250 genes was altered after MMW exposure. (continue reading in newsletter)

Lawler NB, Evans CW, Romanenko S, Chaudhari N, Fear M, Wood F, Smith NM, Wallace VP, Swaminathan Iyer K (2022): Millimeter waves alter DNA secondary structures and modulate the transcriptome in human fibroblasts. Biomed Opt Express. 2022 Apr 28;13(5):3131-3144. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35774325/