Mobile phone electromagnetic fields affecting the hepatocytes in the White Leghorn chicken embryo: An ultrastructural study

This study was designed to measure the adverse the effects of electromagnetic waves on the hepatocytes in vivo. For this purpose, a developing chick embryo model was selected. 40 fertilized chick eggs were used. An egg incubator was used for egg development. In the exposed group, 20 fertilized eggs were exposed to mobile phone electromagnetic waves by placing a mobile phone inside the incubator in silent mode, while in the control, the mobile phone was removed. Mobile phone received calls from outside for 50 minutes in 24 hours. Liver was removed for electron microscopy. Control group revealed normal hepatocytes with big central nucleus, well-developed cristae in normal looking mitochondria, rounded nucleus, scattered ribosomes, few glycogen vacuoles and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Normal looking sinusoids lined by simple squamous epithelium and few Kupffer cells. Sinusoids were containing many nucleated RBC. On tenth day of development, exposed group revealed marked proliferation of mitochondria. At day 15, electron-dense mitochondria which were either swollen or dumbbell shaped and degenerated invisible cristae were apparent. Marked infiltration of fatty vacuoles and myelin-like figures in the cytoplasm, and derangement of classic hepatic lobule and sinusoids was observed. We conclude that electromagnetic waves affected the proliferation of hepatocytes in the chick embryo.