The effect of pulsed microwaves on passive electrical properties and interspike intervals of snail neurons.
Field AS, Ginsburg K, Lin JC · 1993
View Original AbstractPulsed microwaves at 2.45 GHz directly altered nerve cell electrical properties without heating, proving non-thermal biological effects on neurons.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed snail neurons to pulsed 2.45 GHz microwaves and found they caused significant changes to the neurons' electrical properties, specifically increasing their resistance to electrical current. These effects occurred without any temperature changes, proving the microwaves directly affected nerve cell function. This demonstrates that radiofrequency radiation can alter how neurons work at the cellular level.
Why This Matters
This 1993 study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation directly affects neuronal function through non-thermal mechanisms. The researchers used snail neurons because they're large enough to measure precisely, and they maintained strict temperature control to rule out heating effects. The fact that 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) altered the electrical properties of nerve cells suggests similar effects could occur in human neurons. While the exposure levels were higher than typical consumer devices, this research demonstrates a fundamental biological interaction between RF radiation and nervous system tissue that occurs independently of heating.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 81.5 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 2.45 GHz
- Exposure Duration
- 10 microseconds
Exposure Context
This study used 81.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 203.8x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate The effect of pulsed microwaves on passive electrical properties and interspike intervals of snail neurons
The effects of pulsed microwaves (2.45 GHz, 10 microseconds, 100 pps, SAR: 81.5 kW/kg peak, 81.5 W/k...
Statistical comparison with sham-irradiated neurons revealed a significant increase in the mean inpu...
Although the observed effects were less obvious than those reported in other studies, they represent evidence of a direct interaction between neurons and pulsed microwaves, in the absence of macroscopic temperature changes. The data do not suggest a single, specific mechanism for such interaction.
Show BibTeX
@article{as_1993_the_effect_of_pulsed_970,
author = {Field AS and Ginsburg K and Lin JC},
title = {The effect of pulsed microwaves on passive electrical properties and interspike intervals of snail neurons.},
year = {1993},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8297395/},
}