Two-year chronic bioassay study of rats exposed to a 1.6 GHz radiofrequency signal.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether long-term exposure to a 1.6 GHz radiofrequency (RF) field would affect the incidence of cancer in Fischer 344 rats. Thirty-six timed-pregnant rats were randomly assigned to each of three treatment groups: two groups exposed to a far-field RF Iridium signal and a third group that was sham exposed. Exposures were chosen such that the brain SAR in the fetuses was 0.16 W/kg. Whole-body far-field exposures were initiated at 19 days of gestation and continued at 2 h/day, 7 days/week for dams and pups after parturition until weaning (approximately 23 days old). The offspring (700) of these dams were selected, 90 males and 90 females for each near-field treatment group, with SAR levels in the brain calculated to be as follows: (1) 1.6 W/kg, (2) 0.16 W/kg and (3) near-field sham controls, with an additional 80 males and 80 females as shelf controls. Confining, head-first, near-field exposures of 2 h/day, 5 days/week were initiated when the offspring were 36 +/- 1 days old and continued until the rats were 2 years old. No statistically significant differences were observed among treatment groups for number of live pups/litter, survival index, and weaning weights, nor were there differences in clinical signs or neoplastic lesions among the treatment groups. The percentages of animals surviving at the end of the near-field exposure were not different among the male groups. In females a significant decrease in survival time was observed for the cage control group.
Anderson
Larry E
LE
Battelle, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352, USA. larry.anderson@pnl.gov
Sheen
David M
DM
Wilson
Bary W
BW
Grumbein
Sondra L
SL
Creim
Jeffery A
JA
Sasser
Lyle B
LB
D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011846:Radio Waves; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344