ASSESSMENT OF THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIOFREQUENCY RADIATION
Joseph M. Lary, David L. Conover, William E. Murray
The authors concluded that adverse biological effects in animals appear to have a threshold at a specific absorption rate of about 2 W/kg.
Plain English Summary
The authors reviewed and critically evaluated the radiofrequency biological effects literature through 1982. The review indicated that there appears to be a threshold for adverse biological effects in animals at a specific absorption rate of about 2 W/kg. At SARs between 1.8 and 4.5 W/kg, adverse effects included death, temperature increases exceeding 3%, hemorrhagic lesions, staggering and spasms in chicks, and extreme agitation in dogs. At SARs below 1.8 W/kg no clearly adverse effects were reported, but measurable temperature increases and physiological changes occurred in the 0.17 to 1.8 W/kg range. At SARs below 0.17 W/kg no temperature increases were reported and most effects involved calcium efflux or blood-brain barrier permeability.
Why This Matters
The lowest SAR producing a clearly adverse effect was 1.87 W/kg in bantam chicks, which showed staggering, muscular flaccidity or collapse, tonic or clonic spasms, and avoidance of the radiation beam. Death was reported in rats exposed for 139 minutes at 3.6 W/kg, in rabbits for 2 hours at 4.05 W/kg, and in dogs for 2 to 3 hours at 5.94 W/kg, all resulting from excessive hyperthermia. In the 0.17 to 1.8 W/kg range, rectal temperature increases of 1.0 to 1.7 degrees were reported in monkeys and rabbits, along with changes in behavior, blood chemistry, hormone levels, and brain activity. The authors noted that increased calcium efflux from the brain has no known significance to animal health, and increased blood-brain barrier permeability has been difficult to replicate at low exposure levels and may be an experimental artifact.
Finding
SEVERAL ADVERSE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT SARS BETWEEN 1.8 AND 4.5 W/KG INCLUDING DEATH (RATS AND RABBITS); RECTAL TEMPERATURE INCREASES EXCEEDING 3% (MONKEYS, DOGS); HEMORRHAGIC LESIONS, OTHER TISSUE LESIONS, AND TUBULAR NEPHROSIS (RABBITS); STAGGERING, MUSCULAR FLACCIDITY AND COLLAPSE, AND SPASMS OF THE LEGS AND WINGS (CHICKS); AND EXTREME AGITATION, IMPAIRED LOCOMOTION, AND EXHAUSTION (DOGS).
In their words
“SEVERAL ADVERSE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT SARS BETWEEN 1.8 AND 4.5 W/KG INCLUDING DEATH (RATS AND RABBITS); RECTAL TEMPERATURE INCREASES EXCEEDING 3% (MONKEYS, DOGS); HEMORRHAGIC LESIONS, OTHER TISSUE LESIONS, AND TUBULAR NEPHROSIS (RABBITS); STAGGERING, MUSCULAR FLACCIDITY AND COLLAPSE, AND SPASMS OF THE LEGS AND WINGS (CHICKS); AND EXTREME AGITATION, IMPAIRED LOCOMOTION, AND EXHAUSTION (DOGS).”
Show BibTeX
@article{assessment_of_the_biological_effects_of_radiofrequency_radiation_g4289,
author = {Joseph M. Lary and David L. Conover and William E. Murray},
title = {ASSESSMENT OF THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIOFREQUENCY RADIATION},
year = {n.d.},
}