Effect of radiation leakage of microwave oven on rat's serum testosterone

Since discovery of high frequency waves and their application in different industries, their adverse biological effects have been of great attention. Increased male fertility problems have suggested the possible role of microwaves in producing this disorder. Testes are active body tissues, which can be affected by these waves. Age of the patients at the time of exposure can have important influence on the effect of these waves. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of radiation leakage of microwave oven on rat serum testosterone at pre and post pubertal stages. In this study we used 18 mature (two months old) and 18 immature (0ne months old) rats. Mature and immature rats each were divided into control and experimental groups. Experimental groups were exposed to 2450 MHZ microwaves produced by a microwave oven, three times a day, each time for 30 minutes and control groups were kept in the laboratory under identical conditions in view of temperature and light. At the end of experiment blood was collected via heart puncture and serum testosterone was measured by RIA method. Collected data were analyzed by means of t-test. The results of this study showed that the level of serum testosterone in experimental group was less than that of control group in immature rats (P>0.05). But in the mature rats, the serum testosterone level of experimental group was less than that of control group significantly (P<0.05). Exposure to microwaves leakage of microwave oven resulted in decreased testosterone production by testes in mature rats which may be due to the direct effect of microwave on leydig cells or its indirect effect on pituitary and hypothalamus.