Effect of chronic electromagnetic radiation on embryogenesis and early postnatal development of the offspring of irradiated animals

Abstract

The effect of electromagnetic radiation of the mobile communication frequency range during chronic exposure to the reproductive function of rats, the antenatal and postnatal development of the offspring of irradiated males and females Wistar rats was studied. Irradiation conditions: the carrier frequency 1800 MHz (unmodulated radiation), the power flux density of 85 μW/cm2, the zone of the formed wave (the distance from the radiation source of 1.3 m) from the radiation source. Males (15 individuals) and females (32 individuals) were exposed to radiation in an ane-choic chamber in lattice containers for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Two weeks after the last irradiation session the animals were paired at the rate of the one male for two females. Then pregnant female rats were irradiated from 5 to 17 days of pregnancy with the same expo-sure parameters. The animals of the control group (15 males and 30 females) were subjected to the same manipulation, but with the radiation source turned off. On the 20th day of pregnancy, some of females (13 experimental and 12 control females) were euthanized to study embryo-genesis. To assess embryogenesis, the following factors were studied: ovulatory activity of the ovaries, preimplantation and postimplantation intrauterine death of embryos, the average num-ber of live fetuses, their cranio-caudal sizes and body weight. There was no difference between the experimental and control groups in embryogenesis. From the remaining 10 experimental and 14 control pregnant females, groups were formed to assess the postnatal development of the first generation offspring. No differences were found in the early postnatal ontogenesis of the offspring of irradiated and control animals. Thus, chronic unmodulated electromagnetic radiation with a frequency of 1800 did not have a significant effect on the course of pregnancy of the fe-males and the early postnatal development of their first generation offspring.