Effect of 6 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field on the development of fetal bones

This study examined the impact of 6 GHz (0.054 W/kg SAR) Radiofrequency-Electromagnetic Field (RF-EMF) on prenatal bone development. In this study, 20 female and 20 male Wistar Albino rats divided into four groups. The Control group received no treatment, while in Group-I, only male rats were exposed to RF-EMF, female rats had no exposure. Group-II, both male and female rats received RF-EMF treatment. While in Group-III, only female rats were exposed to RF-EMF, male rats had no exposure. The exposure lasted 4 hours per day for 6 weeks. The rats were then allowed to mate within the group. After pregnancy, pregnant rats (Group-II and III) were exposed 4 hours per day for 18 days. On the 18th day of gestation, fetuses were removed and their weight and various lengths were measured. The skeletal system development of fetuses was examined with double skeletal staining method and assessed ossification in the extremities. In the study, fetal weights, head-tail length, occipital-frontal and parietal-parietal lengths significantly increased in all exposure groups when compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Although occipital-frontal length was smallest in Group-I, Group-II and Group-III were more higher than the control group (p < 0.001). The bones of the anterior and posterior extremities showed significant increases in length, ossification zone length, and ossification percentage in all experimental groups compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Our study showed that rats exposed to 6 GHz (0.054 W/kg) RF-EMF during the prenatal period had significant increases in bone development.