GUVEN YILDIRIM, TOLGAR LUTFİ KUMRAL, YAVUZ UYAR, MAHMUT BABALIK, HİLMİ UGRAS, BORA BASARAN
The Journal of International Advanced Otology - 2013;9(1):61-70
Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by bluethooth systems operating at a frequency of 2400 MHz on the inner ear and hearing functions of neonatal and adult rats. Materials and Methods: In this study 32 healthy Wistar-Albino rats (16 adults and 16 neonates) were used as test animals. After measurements of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), the adult and neonatal rats were divided into four groups: 8 for the experimental and 8 for the control group for each. The rats in the experimental groups were placed around activated headset bluetooth device attached to their cages with the audio. They were exposed to electromagnetic waves continuously 4 hours each day for 40 days. At the end of this period the experimental and control groups were reevaluated with DPAOE. The pre and post exposure results for the adult experimental and neonatal group were evaluated both within the group and in comparison to the control group. Results: The pre and post-exposure results for adult and neonatal rats exposed to EMF were assessed both within the group and in comparison to those for the control group and no significant differences were observed in the inner ear and hearing functions (p>0,05). Conclusion: In this study, it was concluded that 4 hours exposure for 40 days to EMF generated by bluethooth systems operating at a frequency of 2400 MHz did not have any determined effect on the inner ear and hearing functions of neonatal and adult rats.
