Occurrence of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells in mobile phone users: A case-control study

Abstract

Introduction: The use of mobile phones has increased enormously all over the world especially among young people. This technology is based upon electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range [radiofrequency (RF) waves and microwaves]. The radiation frequency and modulation standards vary in the range of 300–2100 MHz, depending on the region in the world. Aim and Objectives: To detect the presence of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells of mobile phone users as well as to carry out a quantitative analysis of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells of mobile phone users. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 100 individuals, out of which 50 were included under the test group and 50 under the control group. Buccal mucosal smears were obtained from each subject. Staining was done using papanicuolau (PAP) stain and the slides were examined for the presence of micronuclei. Results: The mean duration of mobile phone usage in years was 5.32 years for the exposed and 2.42 years for the control. Mean duration of mobile phone usage per day in the test group was 94.8 min and 12.4 min in the control group. The frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC) in test and control groups ranged from 0 to 16 and 0 to 2 respectively. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Student t-test and significant results were obtained at 0.0001 level. Conclusion: Our study concluded that there is an increased frequency of micronuclei in mobile phone users which is related to carcinogenesis.

Keywords

• electromagnetic radiation
• micronuclei
• mobile phone