No Increased DNA Damage Observed in the Brain,Liver, and Lung of Fetal Mice Treated With Ethylnitrosourea and Exposed to UMTS Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields

The widespread use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi-based communication devices makes exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) unavoidable. Previous experiments have revealed the tumor-promoting effects of non-ionizing RF-EMF in adult carcinogen-treated mice in utero. To extend these investigations, we tested whether these effects are due to the co-carcinogenicity of RF-EMF which would manifest as elevated DNA damage. Similar to previous experiments, pregnant mice were exposed to RF-EMF (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System UMTS] standard, approximately 1,960 MHz) from day 7 post-conception (p.c.) at 0 (sham), 0.04, and 0.4 W/kg SAR. At day 14 p.c., the mice were injected with the carcinogen ethylnitrosourea (ENU, 40 mg/kg). At three time-points specifically 24, 36, and 72 h later, the pregnant females were sacrificed and the fetuses (n = 24–57) were removed. A dye (cy3) specific for adenyl adducts was used to detect DNA damage by fluorescence microscopy in the brain, liver, and lung of each fetus. Compared to control (0 W/kg SAR), exposure to RF-EMF had no effect on the formation of DNA adducts in the inspected tissues. We conclude that increased adenyl formation of DNA by RF-EMF exposure is not a valid explanation for the previously reported tumor-promoting effects of RF-RMF. Our findings may help to gain a deeper insight into the biological effects of RF-EMF exposure in the context of malignancy. © 2020 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Bioelectromagnetics Society