RF Radiation and Toxic Chemical Mixtures

Human exposures to RF radiation arise from military use, industrial use, broadcasting, and cellular phone use. These exposures have been linked to increased numbers of spontaneous abortion, neurological effects, altered red and white blood cell counts, increased somatic mutation rates in lymphocytes, cardiovascular effects, increased cancer risk, and increased childhood cancers/28 311 Other studies.however, have refuted these findings) 27,32 As stated in the introduction, only a relatively few studies addressed the combined effects of toxic chemical and RF exposure. A thorough search of the literature shows that such studies have not been refuted. The following are illustrative examples of these mixture studies. 

The combination of chromium trioxide and RF radiation has synergistic mutagenic effects upon Vicia faba root tip cells upon exposure. Mutagenesis is sharply elevated relative to treatment with chromium trioxide alone/35  

Combined exposure to RF and the glycol ether 2-methoxyethanol (2-ME) produces increased teratogenicity in rats. Combined exposures enhance the adverse effects produced by either RF of 2-ME alone/36 37 Though other glycol ethers have not been so tested to date, many widely used glycol ethers are structurally similar to 2-ME and may also have teratogenic effects when exposures to these are concurrent with RF. 

Mitomycin C (MMC) and 4-nitroquinoline-l-oxide (4NQO) are known to be mutagenic to human lymphocytes. When cells were exposed to each of these and RF, synergistic effects were observed. DNA damage was greater than that observed for MMC or 4NQO alone/38  

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