J Prev Med Public Health.  2004 Nov;37(4):373-380.

DNA Damage of Lymphocytes in Volunteers after 4 hours Use of Mobile Phone

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Korea. eunil@korea.ac.kr
  • 2Medical Research Center for Environmental Toxico-Genomics and Proteomics, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
There has been gradually increasing concern about the adverse health effects of electromagnetic radiation originating from cell phones which are widely used in modern life. Cell phone radiation may affect human health by increasing free radicals of human blood cells. This study has been designed to identify DNA damage of blood cells by electromagnetic radiation caused by cell phone use. METHODS: This study investigated the health effect of acute exposure to commercially available cell phones on certain parameters such as an indicator of DNA damage for 14 healthy adult volunteers. Each volunteer during the experiment talked over the cell phone with the keypad facing the right side of the face for 4 hours. The single cell gel electrophoresis assay (Comet assay), which is very sensitive in detecting the presence of DNA strand-breaks and alkali-labile damage in individual cells, was used to assess peripheral blood cells (T-cells, B-cells, granulocytes) from volunteers before and after exposure to cell phone radiation. The parameters of Comet assay measured were Olive Tail Moment and Tail DNA %. RESULTS: The Olive Tail Moment of B-cells and granulocytes and Tail DNA % of B-cells and granulocytes were increased by a statistically significant extent after 4- hour use of a cell phone compared with controls. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that cell phone radiation caused the DNA damage during the 4 hours of experimental condition. Nonetheless, this study suggested that cell phone use may increase DNA damage by electromagnetic radiation and other contributing factors.

Keyword

Cellular phone; DNA damage; Comet assay; Lymphocytes

MeSH Terms

Adult
B-Lymphocytes
Blood Cells
Cell Phones*
Comet Assay
DNA Damage*
DNA*
Electromagnetic Radiation
Electrophoresis
Free Radicals
Granulocytes
Humans
Lymphocytes*
Olea
Tail
Volunteers*
DNA
Free Radicals
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