Photograph by Elizabeth Foley
Trees and Forests:
The Impacts of Radiofrequency Radiation
Pinus bruta (Turkish pine)
​
A base station effects flowering, cone yield, and germination among Turkish pines.
Ozell et al., 2021
​​
Abstract
Electromagnetic radiation is a substantial pollution factor that most of the living things found almost everywhere are constantly exposed to with current technology. The number of studies conducted on the effects of this exposed radiation on the living things constantly is limited; and almost all of the studies conducted are aimed at measuring the effects of short-term exposure. In addition to this, most of the studies conducted on plants focus on herbaceous plant species. In this study, the effects of distance to base station on flower and cone yield and germination percentage were investigated in Pinus brutia individuals, one of the critical forest tree species. The study results revealed that being close to the base station significantly reduced the number of flowers and cones in P. brutia individuals, and that the values obtained in individuals at a distance of 800 m from the base station were 11 times more than the number of flowers and 7 times more than the number of cones compared to the individuals at a distance of 100 m. In the seeds subject to the study, there is a three-times difference in terms of the germination percentage among the individuals located at the furthest and closest distance to the base station. These results show that P. brutia individuals are considerably affected by the base station.
​​
Ozel HB, Cetin M, Sevik H, Varol T, Isik B, Yaman B. (2021) The effects of base station as an electromagnetic radiation source on flower and cone yield and germination percentage in Pinus brutia Ten. Biologia Futura 72:3, pages 359-365.
Trees Injured Near Mobile Phone Base Stations
2016 Balmori
Observation of trees near a mobile phone base station (cell tower)
​
​
Balmori. Radiofrequency radiation injures trees around mobile phone base stations, 2016
​
https://www.baubiologie.de/downloads/wug/rf-radiation-injures-trees-2016.pdf
Trembling Aspens
When shielded from a cell tower, trembling aspens produced longer seedlings and larger leaves.
​
Haggerty 2010: Trembling aspens have been declining in the Rocky Mountains and failing to display the brilliant colors normally displayed in the autumn. Biologist Katie Haggerty experimented by shielding some of the aspens from radiofrequency waves. After only two months, her shielded seedlings were 74 percent longer and their leaves 60 percent larger than either her unshielded seedlings or her mock-shielded seedlings. In the fall, only the shielded seedlings displayed the brilliant colors for which health aspens are famous. The seedlings that were left unshielded, outside of the Faraday cage were exposed as usual to the antenna’s radiofrequency fields. The unshielded trees had a . The trees that were shielded from the cell tower radiation had ...percent.
Flowering Plants Impacted by GSM Radiation
Effects of GSM Radiation on Flowering Plants
​​​​
A 2018 literature review examined research using physiological, biochemical, and other biomarkers to examine the response of various flowering plant species when exposed to man-made GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) technology in the commonly used 850-1900 MHz frequency range. Different monocots (tomato, onion, wheat and maize etc.) and dicots (pulses, mustard and flax) have been studied using both GSM mobile phone and GSM simulators. Studies revealed overall reductions in germination, root-shoot lengths, dry weight, in both dose and time-dependent manners. However, there could be found incline in various parameters at biochemical and molecular levels. Furthermore, there could be found disturbances at cytological levels upon exposure of roots of onion to EMFr radiations. The overall literature review shows the negative effects of GSM and GSM-like radiations on targeted plant species. In order to alleviate the stressful effects of EMFr radiations on plants, in vivo studies need to be done using various cost-effective approaches such as use of biochar and various organic amendments.
The authors suggested that more research is needed on the stressful effects of EMFr radiations on plants.
​
Excerpts:
- "There could be found disturbances at cytological levels upon exposure of roots of onion to EMFr radiations."
- "The overall literature review shows the negative effects of GSM and GSM-like radiations on targeted plant species."
​
Khan MD, Ali S, Azizullah A, Shuijin Z. Use of various biomarkers to explore the effects of GSM and GSM-like radiations on flowering plants. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2018 Sep;25(25):24611-24628. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-2734-3. Epub 2018 Jul 20. PMID: 30030756.
Trees near base station show signs of injury
Radiofrequency radiation injures trees around mobile phone base stations
​
Waldmann-Selsama, Balmori, Breunig, et al
Radiofrequency radiation injures trees around mobile phone base stations
​
Irradiated Seeds
For a science fair experiment, a team of five ninth grade students in Hjallerup, Denmark filled twelve trays with 400 cress seeds each. They placed six trays in a window next to three laptop computers and two WiFi routers, and six trays in a similar window but without computers or routers. After 6 days, none of the irradiated seeds had