The Effect of an Aluminium Foil Shield on Reducing The Strength of Electromagnetic Radiation of Mobile Phones Reaching the Oculi of Adult Male Rats

Abstract

Mobile phones produce electromagnetic radiation (EMR) whilst transmitting data. The EMR can generate the oxidative stressors that might affect the oculi of the mobile phone users. Aluminium foil (AF) has been proposed as a shield against EMR because it has the potential to cause absorption loss and reflection loss. This study investigates whether the AF subjected rat oculi by measuring the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and comparing these to the controls. Thirty-two adult male rats were divided equally into 4 groups (n=8). Groups K1 and K2 were the control groups with and without AF by respectively, as were study groups in groups P1 and P2. The rats in the study groups were exposed to EMR from a mobile phone with specificity absorption rate 0.84-1.86 W/kg in standby mode and connected to Wi-fi for 4 hours daily for 30 days. The MDA levels of the right oculus were measured using spectrophotometry. Data was analysed by Kruskal-Wallis test (SPSS v.23). The MDA levels in groups III and IV was higher than in groups I and II; it was significantly highest in group III compared to the others with significance level of p < 0.05. Groups I and II had no significant modulation in the MDA levels. This study demonstrated that AF could be a shield against EMR, and that was shown by the lower levels of the MDA in the shielded subjects.