Research - Toxicological

Zhang M-B, Ji-Liang H, Li-Fen J, De-Qiang L (2002):

The aim of this study was to determine if exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) had a synergistic effect with Mitomycin C (MMC) in the production of DNA damage in blood lymphocytes. MMC is a drug used in the treatment of cancer that is known to produce DNA damage.

Blood from one male and one female donor was divided into 10 groups:

control group;
Microwave radiation (MW) group - the blood was exposed to 2450 MHz frequency at 5.0 mW/cm² for 2 hours;
Ffour MMC groups - the blood was exposed to MMC for 24 hours at concentrations 0.0125 µg/ml, 0.025 µg/ml, 0.05 µg/ml, and 0.1 µg/ml respectively;
MW plus MMC groups - the blood was first exposed to MW for 2 hours and then treated with MMC for 24 hours in the same concentrations. DNA damage was estimated by the comet test, and the lymphocytes were examined for micronuclei, an indication of chromosomal damage.

While the MW exposure did not produce any evidence of DNA or chromosomal damage, the MW+MMC groups showed significantly longer comet lengths than the MMC groups when the concentrations of MMC were 0.025 µg/ml or greater. However, the number of micronuclei was not significantly greater in the MW+MMC groups, compared to the MMC groups alone.