Excerpts from the paper:
“Maternal exposure to electromagnetic fields, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, due to the high level of stem cells and their high sensitivity to this radiation, the biochemical parameters of the umbilical cord blood examined was shown increased oxidative stress reactions, changes in protein gene expression, DNA damage, and increased embryonic abnormalities. In addition, parental exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation can lead to the enhancement of different cell-based cancers and developmental disorders such as speech problems in childhood.”
“Some findings reveal that human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) waves or living near high-voltage power lines can cause cognitive and behavioral disorders, reduced learning and memory power, and poor neurobehavioral function [28]. Significant heat effects from the waves are associated with adverse health outcomes such as sleep problems, hearing problems, reproduction problems, nervous system disorders, and increased cancer [29]. In this regard, children and adults who live near high-voltage towers or lines are more prone to develop acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, respectively [30,31].”
“In this study, the results of the meta-analysis revealed that fetuses and children whose parents were exposed to EMFs had lower mean antioxidant parameters in umbilical cord blood and higher mean umbilical cord oxidant parameters. The results of studies also revealed that RFR 900–1,800 MHz was associated with oxidative stress, DNA damage in the brain and liver, pathological changes in liver tissue, and oxidative damage to the kidney in animal samples [67,68,69,70,71]. In animal cases, exposure to RFR not only increases protein oxidation and DNA damage but also reduces the activity of some antioxidant enzymes [72]. The results of another study revealed that RFR at 834 MHz did not change oxidative stress parameters in the blood and liver tissues of rats [73]. Another study showed that human placental villi, exposed to RF-EMF in the early stages of pregnancy, had lower concentrations of the antioxidant enzyme TXNL-2. A probably decreased amount of placental antioxidants is a key defense mechanism against the biological effects of RF-EMFs in pregnancy [55]. The amount of RFR frequency and the features of the biological substance play an important role in the outcome, so that sensitivity to RFR and ELF-EMFs increases in pregnancy due to dehydration and the presence of a large number of stem cells [74]. Another study in human umbilical cord blood cases revealed that fetuses whose mothers were exposed to RFR emitted from a mobile phone compared to mothers who were only exposed to RFR emitted from Wi-Fi revealed signs of DNA damage, and a significant OSI in these people have increased. It should be noted that the RF waves of a mobile phone are 900, 1,800, or 2,100 MHz, implying that people are closer to the source of the RFR, whereas Wi-Fi devices emit 2.45 GHz RF waves, implying that people are farther away from it. On the other hand, it is revealed that Wi-Fi has had the potential to contribute to the destructive effects of mobile phones [54]. In addition to the importance of maternal distance from the source of RFR production, the duration of exposure or conversation of a person with a cell phone for more than 1 hour during the day is associated with increased biochemical parameters and decreased platelet volume [33].”
“Fetal and childhood abnormalities were more common in parents who have been exposed to EMFs compared to those who have not.”
Kashani, Zahra Atarodi, Pakzad, Reza, Fakari, Farzaneh Rashidi, Haghparast, Mohammad Sadegh, Abdi, Fatemeh, Kiani, Zohreh, Talebi, Afsaneh and Haghgoo, Somaieh Moradi. “Electromagnetic fields exposure on fetal and childhood abnormalities: Systematic review and meta-analysis” Open Medicine, vol. 18, no. 1, 2023, pp. 20230697