The effect of electromagnetic field with a frequency of 144 MHz on the blood parameters and behavior of rats

Electromagnetic fields with a frequency of 30-300 MHz are used extensively, particularly in communication. Radio, wireless and TV are performed from these frequencies. The negative effects of RF waves are known since 1970s. From the 1980s on the power intensities of these together with electrical and magnetic components have been standardized by ANSJ 82, INIRC 88 and NRPS 89 (these standards are also valid for the authors' country). The authors aimed to investigated the effects of RF waves, with a frequency and intensity just above the permitted ranges, on blood parameters and behavioral changes of rats. They used 27 Wistar albino rats of both genders: 12 as controls and 15 as the experimental group. They put the animals in specially prepared cages and performed RF irradiation with a frequency of 144 MHz and a power intensity of 12.5 Watt/m/sup 2/ to the experimental group. For the 21 days period the authors measured the food and water consumption of the animals, their body weights, the amounts of urine and faeces, rectal temperatures, and humidity-pressure-temperature values inside the cages. At the end of the experimental period the authors performed elevated plus maze and holeboard tests to the experimental group to assess the alterations in anxiety and behavior. The authors measured erythrocyte, thrombocyte, Hct, Hb, leukocyte values, bleeding and coagulation times and leukocyte formulation in the blood taken from the tip of the tail. They also measured Vanil Mandelik Asit (VMA) which is a metabolic product of adrenaline from daily urine samples collected by metabolism cages. As a result; although the intensity of the EM field in the frequency the authors used was just above the given ranges they couldn't obtain any statistically significant results between all parameters in control and experimental groups. The authors come to 2 significant and evident results in view of these results. They can say that the upper ranges determined have also flexibility (tolerance) and as they consider that these standards are for humans. They can comment that the dimensions of rats are small and thus the frequency is too low to get the resonance effects.