EMF Evidence Library
Research library/Reproductive health/WEB-039
WEB-039Original abstract reviewed

27.5 GHz: reproductive responses differ between mouse strains

Palone et al. · 2026 · Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.)

The reported finding

Car-S mice showed reduced sperm concentration/motility and testicular/hormonal changes; C57BL/6J showed intermediate effects. CD1 sperm endpoints were largely preserved.

Reading it carefully

Original abstract only. Some animals had prior carcinogen treatment; subgroup design, statistics and dose distribution need full-text audit. Authors report non-thermal conditions; human and satellite relevance remains unestablished.

Inside the study

Technology connection
27.5 GHz is relevant to 5G high-band research and overlaps a satellite uplink band. These are laboratory animal exposures, not a satellite-system experiment.
Publication type
Original journal research
Exposure conditions
27.5 GHz for 100 days from age 8 weeks; 6.67 or 20 W/m². Reported mean whole-body SAR 0.26 or 0.77 W/kg.
Design & controls
Three mouse strains, Car-S, CD1 and C57BL/6J; sham controls, sperm analysis, testicular histology and serum testosterone.
Statistics
See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.
Related research & shared cohorts
SEAWave/ENEA programme; related early-life skin study is not an independent replication of these endpoints. Related publication records: WEB-038.
The protection question raised
Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?
Source verification
Original abstract and bibliographic identity reviewed; full methods, dosimetry and statistics not audited.
Where to find the result
Original abstract
Editorial notices
Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.
Funding
Not established from the retrieved original abstract.
Conflicts of interest
Not established from the retrieved original abstract.

Original publication

Francesca Palone; Flavia Novelli; Emanuela Pasquali; Simona Leonardi; Ilaria De Stefano; Emiliano Fratini; Mirella Tanori; Marta Piscitelli; Caterina Merla; Rosanna Pinto; Lucia Ardoino; Alessandro Zambotti; Francesca Camera; Simonetta Pazzaglia; Myles Capstick; Theodoros Samaras; Mariateresa Mancuso. Strain-dependent effects of long-term exposure to 27.5 GHz 5 G millimeter waves on male reproductive outcomes in mice. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.). 2026. doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2026.109370.

Plain-text record