Abstract
Exposure to LTE 2600 MHz microwaves is increasing very fast as new technologies and become accessible worldwide, and the smartphones being the main source of these waves. The aim of this study is to assess the thermal effect of 4G signals on rats. Forty adult Albino rats were used throughout the study, assigned as control and exposed groups, equally. Rats were kept in Plexiglas cages with intermittent exposure to LTE mobile-phone like signals at an average of 2h/day for up to 30 continuous days with SAR value of 0.982 W/kg. Infrared images were snapped immediately after the end of the exposure time, then one hour, two hours, and four hours later at a rate one collection/week during the study. IR images were analyzed by FLIR Tools software. The results exhibited variation in reflected skin temperatures in the exposed group compared to control images. Furthermore, the analysis of collected data revealed significant variations over the course of the study compared to the first week. The rise in skin temperature observed in response to exposure in the first week, which decreased gradually increased exposure and this drop in reflected skin temperature was significantly related to amount of exposure. The study concludes that the LTE 2600 MHz exposure under controlled laboratory conditions has a thermal effect on the rats.
Highlights
The dependency on mobile communication technology has increased exponentially
The best method to determine the thermal effects of RF-Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and allow for thermographic analysis is the use of infra-red cameras and thermography is a demonstrative method useful as an integral strategy to support other medical tests [12]
The current findings showed that LTE 2600 MHz EMF exposure led to a rise in surface body temperature in different parts of the rat’s bodies which was observed as an expansion of surface hot spots compared to the control group
Summary
The dependency on mobile communication technology has increased exponentially. It has been reported that more than 4 billion people (57% of world population) totally depend on mobile telephony for communication purposes. In the frequency range of mobile communication bands, as well as Wi-Fi, one of the relevant interactions of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) with biological tissue is the absorption and conversion of EMF energy into the thermal energy [8,9]. Infrared thermography is used for measuring and analyzing physiological functions and pathology related to the body’s thermal homeostasis and temperature as consequence of RF energy absorption by different tissues [13]. This technique is used to detect surface emitted heat as reflected skin temperature. The superficial inflammation or circulatory impairments are indicative of primary sign of inflammation processes reflected on microcirculation of the skin [14]
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