This systematic review evaluated RF EMF exposure and cancer outcomes in experimental animals, including chronic cancer bioassays and tumor-promotion designs. Across 52 included studies, the authors report high certainty of evidence for increased malignant heart schwannomas and gliomas in male rats, and moderate certainty for increased risks of several other tumor types. Many other organ systems showed no or minimal evidence of carcinogenic effects, and the authors note challenges in translating animal findings to human risk assessment due to exposure and mechanistic uncertainties.

This animal study exposed pregnant Sprague Dawley rats to a 900 MHz electromagnetic field for 1 hour daily throughout gestation and assessed offspring outcomes postnatally. Sciatic nerve analyses at postnatal day 60 indicated persistent morphological alterations attributed to prenatal EMF exposure. However, the reported changes were not severe enough to significantly affect measured functional outcomes (including electrophysiology and locomotor tests).

This animal study examined short- and long-term 700 MHz (lower-band 5G) radiofrequency exposure in female Wistar rats, comparing control, sham, and exposed groups. It reports no DNA damage and no change in estrous cycle length, but increased ovarian oxidative stress markers in exposed animals. Long-term exposure was associated with ovarian histopathological alterations, while estradiol and progesterone stayed within normal ranges and testosterone increased slightly but significantly.

This animal study exposed male Wistar rats to 900 MHz RF-EMR from a mobile phone for 1 hour daily over four weeks and assessed behavior and tissue changes. The authors report altered contextual fear conditioning-related behavior in exposed rats. Histological assessments indicated apoptosis and enlarged perivascular space in the hippocampal CA3 region and apoptotic/inflammatory-like changes in the adrenal zona fasciculata, with no reported differences in adrenal medulla cytoarchitecture.

This animal study exposed juvenile and young adult Wistar rats to 5G (3.5 GHz) or 2G (900 MHz) radiofrequency fields (1.5 V/m) for 1–2 weeks and measured brown adipose tissue-related gene expression by RT-qPCR. The abstract reports significant downregulation of PRDM16 and C/EBP mRNA after 5G exposure, while UCP1-dependent thermogenesis markers were not significantly changed at the transcriptional level. The authors interpret these findings as a potential partial disruption of brown adipocyte differentiation and raise EMF safety concerns, while calling for further confirmatory research.

This animal study exposed adult male rats to 2.45 GHz Wi‑Fi from an active router for 4 or 24 hours daily over eight weeks and assessed reproductive organ histology and sperm parameters. The authors report histological changes in testes and epididymis, multifocal atypical hyperplasia in seminal vesicles, reduced seminiferous tubule diameter, and reduced spermatogenesis index in exposed groups. Sperm concentration decreased in both exposed groups, motility decreased in the 4-hour group, and viability increased in the 24-hour group, leading to an overall interpretation of potential reproductive risk under the studied conditions.

This animal study examined repeated pulsed-modulated RF exposure (1–4 GHz; total pulse power density 300 μW/cm2) in male and female Wistar rats and assessed behavior using the open field test. The abstract reports stress reactions and long-term memory impairment in some rats, with females described as more sensitive than males. Reported effects were transient, with behavior returning to baseline within 1.5–2 months after exposure stopped. The authors suggest potential concern for constant exposure scenarios, though this is not directly evaluated in humans here.

This National Toxicology Program technical report describes 900 MHz whole-body RFR exposures (GSM and CDMA) in male and female Sprague Dawley rats from in utero through up to 2 years. The report concludes clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in males for both modulations based on malignant schwannoma of the heart, with malignant glioma of the brain also reported as related to exposure. In females, the report concludes equivocal evidence of carcinogenic activity for both modulations based on selected tumor outcomes, and genetic toxicology findings were mixed with some comet assay increases/equivocal results but negative micronucleus assays.

This animal study exposed male Sprague-Dawley rats to 900 MHz GSM mobile phone RF radiation for 4 hours and assessed ERα promoter methylation in colon tissue. The authors report altered ERα methylation patterns versus controls after RF exposure. They also report no radioadaptive response in ERα methylation following a subsequent 3 Gy Co-60 gamma challenge.

This rat study examined whether pulse-modulated 900 MHz and 1800 MHz RF exposure affects blood-brain barrier permeability using Evans blue dye. The abstract reports increased permeability in male rats at both frequencies (stronger at 1800 MHz) and in female rats at 900 MHz but not at 1800 MHz. The authors suggest mobile-phone-like RF exposure could increase blood-brain barrier permeability under non-thermal conditions, while noting that further mechanistic studies are needed.

This animal study exposed 108 male Sprague-Dawley rats to 900 MHz EMF (1 mW/cm2) or sham for 14 or 28 days (3 h/day). The authors report that 28-day exposure was associated with impaired spatial memory, BBB permeability damage, and ultrastructural changes in hippocampus and cortex. They also report increased mkp-1 expression and ERK dephosphorylation, proposing activation of the mkp-1/ERK pathway as a mechanism.

This rat study tested whether acute exposure to 0.9 and 1.8 GHz continuous-wave radiofrequency radiation alters blood-brain barrier permeability. Using Evans-blue/albumin as a tracer, the authors report no BBB leakage in exposed female rats but a significant increase in albumin in exposed male rat brains versus sham. The authors interpret this as suggesting BBB/vascular permeability changes in males at SAR levels stated to be below international limits.

This animal study examined whether prenatal exposure to mobile phone microwaves affects ovarian development in rats. Pregnant rats were exposed to a phone placed under the cage throughout pregnancy, with mostly standby exposure and brief periodic speech-mode exposure. Female pups assessed at 21 days had fewer ovarian follicles in the exposed group than in controls, which the authors interpret as a toxic effect on ovaries.