Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation and Radio Frequency on Freshwater Calanoid and Cyclopoid Copepods

Copepods belonging to planktonic species are small crustaceans found in water bodies. Plankton are the primary producers that are important for food webs and ecosystems. This study analyzes the effects of planktonic species in current telecommunication devices that emit radio frequency and produce EM fields. In recent years, there has been massive growth in the number of mobile tower stations. Case studies have been conducted on the effects of radiation from these towers on various organisms. In the present study, plankton species were exposed to two EMFs of 190 V and 230 V and an RF of 9 GHz for different time durations. The highest mortality rates for the calanoid copepod Neodiaptomus species were 21.81 ± 3.14, 34.55 ± 1.81, and for the cyclopoid copepod Mesocyclops species were 18.18 ± 3.15, 21.21 ± 2.78, 190 v and 230 v power supplies exposed at 300 min, respectively. Variation in the amount of protein in Neodiaptomus sp. and Mesocyclops sp. was indicated by the effect of radiation. The data on mortality, sublethal duration, motility, protein concentration, and amino acid content are discussed in the present study.