Aug 24, 2018
Weiterführende Untersuchungen zur Dosimetrie einer tierexperimentellen Studie an Labornagern mit hochfrequenten elektromagnetischen Feldern
Manuel Murbach, Bryn Lloyd, Silvia Farcito, Theodoros Samaras, and Niels Kuster, Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), Vorhaben 3615S82433; online 15 August 2018; urn:nbn:de:0221-2018080815828
The report submitted by the IT'IS Foundation of the results of a study funded by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) on the exposure of mice to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) has been published at the BfS website.
The results of recent animal studies have demonstrated the co-carcinogenic effects of exposure to RF EMF. The aim of the current study was to characterize in greater detail the dosimetric aspects of previous work initiated by BfS. The temperature increase due to absorption of EMF was assessed in mice at several developmental stages. Three new anatomical mouse models were included in the evaluations, in which a total of ten different scenarios with the mice in various positions were examined numerically, and a number of dosimetric characteristics were evaluated. The whole-body absorption of high-frequency radiation was also assessed, and the associated peak temperature increases were extracted for all major organs and tissues. Organ-specific absorption and induced temperature increases were evaluated with a set of five – in part newly developed – animal models. Previous dosimetric data were confirmed, and the newly acquired data facilitate the interpretation of new biological, e.g., histopathology, findings.
The scientific and technical impact of the study can be summarized as:
- Dosimetry in terms of organ-specific exposure and temperature increase was assessed in unprecedented detail in mice exposed to RF EMF
- Newly developed models of a young mouse and of a pregnant mouse on the 19th day of gestation were used in the assessment
- Results of earlier dosimetric assessments based on whole-body exposures were confirmed
