Abstract

Radiofrequency radiation (RFR) is a type of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that includes radiowaves and microwaves with a frequency range between 3 KHz and 300 GHz. Mobile phones operate with RFR and are used tremendously resulting in increased and continuous exposure of humans to these radiations. On the other hand, nanoparticles are also being used extensively in various fields. The increasing use of radiofrequency radiations and nanoparticles has become a concern to the general public. Not many studies have reported the cumulative effect of these stressors. Hence, the present investigation was aimed to find out their cumulative effect on the mammalian system. In this study manganese nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and characterized. Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to MNPs and mobile phone radiation for 45 days and their separate, as well as cumulative impact, was investigated. The effect of the MNPs and RFR on liver, kidney, and reproductive parameters were studied. Histopathology as well as liver and kidney parameters were altered when exposed to MNPs and RFR separately. However, their combined treatment did not show a synergistic toxic response in liver and kidney functions which may be due to the fact that the radiation level is low, specific absorption rate (SAR) is subthermal (0.04 W/kg) and liver and kidney are located intra abdominally, hence they would absorb comparatively lesser radiation than the testicles. MNPs and RFR both caused a highly significant decrease in sperm count, which further decreased in the combined treatment (MNPs + RFR). These results indicate that the combined treatment of these stressors can have an additive toxic response to the male reproductive system.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33111595/

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The electromagnetic field (EMF) is known to influence functions of the nervous, cardiovascular and reproductive systems of many animals, including ticks. The aim of this study was to test the behavior of ticks in the presence of radio-frequency EMF. For testing, 160 adult male and 140 adult female unfed Ixodes ricinus ticks were used. Individuals were exposed to 900 MHz EMF in the Radiation–Shielded Tube (RST). Ticks were attracted to the irradiated area. This effect was significantly stronger for ticks infected with Rickettsia spp., suggesting that pathogens can alter the ticks’ response to environmental stimuli. These results lead to the question of whether man-made EMF may have an impact on I. ricinus activity and, as such, be a contributing factor to the ongoing changes in the distribution of the tick and its pathogens currently observed in Europe and elsewhere.

© 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877959X19301979

Further reading

Smartphone Radiation Can Attract Ticks Carrying Dangerous Pathogens

Extract-for the full article, please see http://scienceinpoland.pap.pl/en/node/81997

Climate change and landscape transformation are primarily responsible for increasing tick numbers. However, according to the Poznań University of Life Sciences, the latest research by the Polish-Slovak team shows that electromagnetic radiation (EMF), more and more common in the environment, the sources of which include radio and television stations, mobile telephony and numerous mobile devices, may also be responsible for expanding the range of ticks.

Recent scientific studies have proven that the electromagnetic field also affects ticks, attracting them like a magnet. Interestingly, infection with dangerous bacteria makes EMF even more attractive to ticks. Research results on this topic have just been published in the specialist journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. The first author of the paper is Martyna Frątczak, a veterinary medicine student of the Poznań University of Life Sciences. Eight people from six scientific institutions were involved in its creation (the Poznań University of Life Sciences, the University of Szczecin and the University of Zielona Góra, the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the Technical University of Košice and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Košice).

Professor Piotr Tryjanowski from the Poznań University of Life Sciences said: “The studied issue is extremely interdisciplinary, hence the need for cooperation of representatives of many disciplines: veterinarians, parasitologists, electrical engineers and finally biologists specialising in advanced statistics.”

The authors of the study checked how EMF affected the behaviour of the castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus, known primarily for the transmission of Lyme disease (caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia) as well as rickettsiosis (caused by bacteria of the genus Rickettsia) and tick-borne encephalitis (caused by viruses). The analysis showed that ticks were attracted by 900 MHz radiation. This radiation length is used in most mobile devices, including smartphones.

Even more surprisingly, ticks infected with bacteria of the Borrelia and Rickettsia species are more likely to move towards EMF.

Why do ticks react to electromagnetic radiation? It is probably related to their magnetic sense, the sixth sense common in the animal world, which has evolved in response to the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Artificial electromagnetic radiation can disrupt this sense and increase tick mobility. In addition, it is suspected that natural electromagnetic radiation, small amounts of which are generated produced by every living organism, helps ticks detect hosts, scientists suggest. It is not known, however, to what extent this could be a useful function, because ticks rely mainly on the olfactory information when selecting the host, also detecting moisture, heat and carbon dioxide of the incoming potential host.

The authors of the study admit that the next puzzle is the impact of bacteria carried by ticks on the reaction to electromagnetic radiation. “At first it may seem absurd, but it is worth noting that ticks have been co-evolving with their pathogens for thousands of years. Many tick pathogens can manipulate their hosts, changing their metabolism, fertility, and even affect environmental preferences. So apparently some of them affect tick response to electromagnetic stimuli, making them move towards those stimuli even more willingly than usual,” the scientists said.

They added: “This is certainly bad news for people who do not part with their phones even in nature. But good news for those who say that for a complete rest it is best to leave the phone at home or in the car, and enjoy the sound of trees and singing birds in the forest instead of the sound of incoming messages.”

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