3/8/2011
Do Cell Phones Truly Affect
Cellular Function?

“Far more people in
India have access to a
mobile phone than to
a toilet.”
Amy Van Gheem, MD, Lindsay Penrose, PhD,
Lisa Welch, MS and Sam Prien, PhD
UN University Study, 2010
Previous Research

Many possible health outcomes



Mild local warmth
Cancer
Lower sperm count
INTERPHONE Study


↑ risk of glioma at the highest exposure
Otherwise no increased glioma or
meningioma risk due to mobile phone use
Int J Epidemiol 2010:12010:1-20
Long--Term Goal
Long

To determine if cell phones pose any
threat to reproduction
Objectives


Establish the field strength of the radiant
energy source associated with mobile
phone use
Determine if direct exposure of cultured
cells to these fields influenced cell
physiology
1
3/8/2011
Preliminary Study
Results
Field Intensities of Three Cell Phone Types
Measurement of 67 cell phones for the
presence of radiant energy fields



0.8
Electromagnetic fields (EMF)
Radiofrequency fields (RF)
Background levels


0.7
0.4



a
0.3
0.2
Non-Smart
I-phone
Results
Activation of Peritoneal Macrophages In Vitro 24 hr
after Exposure to Radian Energy Fields
70
60
Percentage
50
i
a
h
d
40
30
0
non-activated

90
h
80
d
g
b

control
phone
e
a
EMF
f
c


0
intermediate
intermediate
activated
Cell phones appear to produce little to no
EMF
However, cell phones produce significant
radiofrequency (RF) fields
Macrophages activated by

10
non-activated
EMF
c
10
i
50
phone
Conclusions
100
60
control
g
b
20
Activation of Peritoneal Macrophages In Vitro 72 h after
Exposure to Radian Energy Fields
70
d
d
Results
20
Smart
Phone Type
Macrophage activation determined at 24
and 72 hrs
30
RF
a
0
High EMF (positive control)
Direct contact with cell phone
No exposure (negative control)
40
a
0.1
Macrophages harvested from mice
Macrophages exposed (1 hr) to:

f
0.5
EMF = .2 uG
RF= 0 watts
Percentage

EMF
0.6
Cell Culture Experiments

e
e
0.9
EMF (uG) and RF (watts)

High EMF
Cell phones
activated
2
3/8/2011
Discussion



Questions?
At close range in vitro, cell phones appear to
influence cellular function
However, it is unclear if this translates to cells in
vivo, especially reproductive tissue which is
normally more distant
Future studies are warranted to determine the
possible influences cell phones might have on
reproduction
3