Scientists at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) said that non-ionizing radiation emitted by television, radio waves and mobile devices increases the chance of suffering high levels of anxiety, depression and infertility in animal models.

According to a statement from the institution, graduate Mayra Granados Martinez and researcher Norma Paniagua Castro stated that exposure to magnetic fields from 860 megahertz (MHz) to 0.5 watts of power causes such psychiatric alterations.

Granados Martinez explained that the study was applied to eight male mice, which were irradiated 860 MHz for four hours a day for 35 consecutive days, representing a sperm cycle, in different seasons of the year (summer and winter) for two years, as well as another group to which underwent the procedure for only 15 days. Then, in both groups, the researchers performed motor activity, depression and anxiety tests.

In the case of anxiety, the animals irradiated in June had an increase in this disorder, while those in winter were not affected. She said that fear and frustration are emotional responses involving the same neural circuits that are activated by electrical stimulation of the amygdala and produce anxiety-related behaviors.

With regard to depression, she mentioned, the rodents radiated in summer also presented high levels of this condition, while in the ones treated in winter did not occur.

The researcher also found that these two psychological alterations are directly linked to the amount of time exposed to radiation.

“We are subjected to waves 24 hours, 365 days a year, we do not see them but they are affecting us,” said the IPN researcher.

Granados Martinez added that the levels of corticosterone and testosterone, which are involved in stress, are the cause of the presence of anxiety and depression.

“These two can modify behavior and are associated to states of aggressiveness in animals and humans. Even in women, aggressiveness is related to testosterone, even at low levels,” she said.

As for the study of infertility, Granados Martinez detailed that mice irradiated for four hours a day for 35 consecutive days recorded a decrease in sperm count, mobility, viability, and even alterations in sperm morphology and germinal epithelium.

Scientific interest in how electric fields could be harmful to humans is relatively recent. The idea is to generate guidelines to regulate their exposure in the near future, she said.

Paniagua Castro said that the overuse of devices producing such kind of radiation may be a factor in the increases number of patients in fertility clinics in the country.

 

Source: La Jornada