Comparison of 864 MHz and 935 MHz microwave radiation effects on cell culture.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 864 MHz and 935 MHz radiofrequency/microwave radiation on the ability of V79 cells to proliferate, form colonies and on their viability. For one, two and three hours, the cells were exposed to the 864 MHz field in a transversal electromagnetic mode cell (TEM) connected with amplifier and to the 935 MHz field in a gigahertz transversal electromagnetic mode cell (GTEM) equipped with a signal generator. The average specific absorption rate (SAR) was 0.08 W kg(-1) for the 864 MHz field and 0.12 W kg(-1) for the 935 MHz field. In comparison to the control cell samples, the growth curve of the 864 MHz irradiated cells showed a significant decrease after two-hour and three-hour exposure on the Day 3 after exposure. Likewise, cells exposed to 935 MHz microwaves for three hours showed a significant growth on Day 3 after exposure. The colony-forming ability and viability of cells exposed to 864 MHz and 935 MHz microwaves did not significantly differ from the matched controls. The applied RF/MW fields showed a similar effect on cell culture growth, colony-forming ability and viability of V79 cells.