Investigation of the Effects of 2.45 GHz Near-Field EMF on Yeast

The study of the effects of 2.45 GHz electromagnetic fields on the health and safety of people and organisms as a whole is essential due to their widespread use in everyday life. It is known that they can cause thermal and non-thermal effects – at the molecular, cellular and organismal level. Yeast suspensions were treated with 2.45 GHz microwave in the near-field of antenna at two distances (2 and 4 cm) and two time periods (20 and 60 min) – setups resembling the use of mobile devices. The release of UV-absorbing substances from the cells was studied as an indicator of membrane permeabilization, total intracellular antioxidant activity and reduced glutathione were determined, and a comet assay for damage to the DNA was performed. Correlation between reduced antioxidants and increased membrane permeability during EMF treatment was observed at a distance of 2 cm for 20 minutes, suggesting the presence of oxidative stress, while a similar effect was not observed with conventional heating. A slightly increased membrane permeability was observed after irradiation for 60 minutes at a distance of 4 cm, but this was not related to the antioxidant status of the cells. A trend towards increased DNA damage was observed under both conditions.