Yurekli AI, Ozkan M, Kalkan T, Saybasili H, et al. (2006)

This study examined whether exposure to RFR, at levels seen from base stations, induced oxidative stress in rats. Nine rats were exposed for 8 days, 7 hours per day, to RFR that simulated far-field exposure. The frequency was 945 MHz, the power density was 3.67 W/m², and the SAR was 11.3 mW/kg. Nine rats were sham-exposed.

The results showed that at baseline the sham rats weighed an average of 162 g, while the exposed rats weighed 190 g on average. There was a similar difference in mean weights at the end of the experiment. Blood MDA levels, a marker of lipid peroxidation, were significantly increased in the exposed rats. Two markers of enzymatic systems that counterbalance the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), SOD and GSH-Px, were also measured in the blood of the animals. SOD was increased and GSH-Px was decreased. The authors consider that the decreased GSH-Px concentration may have been due to the higher consumption of GSH-Px for scavenging the higher production of ROS. The SOD increase may be a response to the change in GSH-Px.

The paper is not clear about some aspects of the study. There is no mention of randomization, and the experiment does not appear to have been done in a double-blind manner. The difference in the mean weights of the exposed and sham rats is considerable, and may have had an impact on the results.