Effects of pre- and postnatal exposure to 1880-1900Â MHz DECT base radiation on development in the rat

•Rat embryos exposed to DECT phone radiation during gestation showed heart rate increase on day  17 of fetal development.•Changes in the newborns' somatometric characteristics were noticed in the exposed group.•Radiation affected hippocampal integrity in pups studied at 22 days postnatally.•Prenatal exposure or in combination with postnatal exposure caused similar effects in the hippocampus integrity.•Adoption of the Precautionary Principle for exposure to DECT phone radiation for vulnerable groups is recommended.

In the present study, to evaluate the effects of wireless 1880-1900 MHz Digital Enhanced Communication Telephony (DECT) base radiation on fetal and postnatal development, Wistar rats were exposed at an average electric field intensity of 3.7 V/m, 12 h/day, during pregnancy. After parturition, a group of dams and offspring were similarly exposed for another 22 days. Controls were sham-exposed. The data showed that DECT base radiation exposure caused heart rate increase in the embryos on the 17th day of pregnancy. Moreover, significant changes on the newborns' somatometric characteristics were noticed. Pyramidal cell loss and glia fibrilliary acidic protein (GFAP) over-expression were detected in the CA4 region of the hippocampus of the 22-day old pups that were irradiated either during prenatal life or both pre- and postnatally. Changes in the integrity of the brain in the 22-day old pups could potentially be related to developmental behavioral changes during the fetal period.