Effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field on human DNA

Abstract

Biological effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on the human genome has been a cause of growing concern owing to its increased application. In the present paper, effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the personnel working near/in radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation environment (radar operators and radio operators) has been evaluated. Monomorphic hybridisation profile was thought to be of particular interest for monitoring subtle changes in the DNA, loss or gain of sequences, or alteration in the enzyme recognition site, if any, and for direct assessment of allele length variation and allele dropout as a consequence of radiofrequency field. Such profiles were obtained using synthetic repeat oligodeoxyribonunucletide probes in conjunction with different restriction enzymes. Of the several enzymes used, BamHI digest uncovered sequence modulation in one of the alleles in the region of 12-13 kb in the exposed personnel with increased frequency compared to the control individuals. This study suggests that some loci in the human DNA may be more prone to mutations arising due to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation.