Thermal and metabolic responsiveness of Japanese quail embryos following periodic exposure to 2,450 MHz microwaves.
Spiers DE, Baummer SC · 1991
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation accelerated quail embryo growth by up to 61% through heating effects, raising questions about wireless exposure during development.
Plain English Summary
Scientists exposed developing quail eggs to microwave radiation for 8 hours daily and found it accelerated embryo growth by 9-61% through heating effects. The faster development occurred without apparent abnormalities, demonstrating that microwave exposure can alter biological processes even when organisms seem normal.
Why This Matters
This study provides important insights into how microwave radiation affects developing organisms, using power densities (5-20 mW/cm²) that overlap with levels found near some wireless devices and cell towers. While the researchers framed their findings positively - noting no obvious abnormalities - the dramatic 61% increase in growth rate at higher exposures should give us pause. The reality is that accelerated development isn't necessarily healthy development, and this study only measured basic physiological markers, not subtle cellular or genetic changes that might emerge later. What this means for you is that developing organisms appear particularly sensitive to microwave radiation's heating effects, which has implications for pregnant women and children exposed to wireless devices.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.76 and 0.66 , 3.8 and 3.3 , 15.2 and 13.2 W/kg
- Power Density
- 5 or 20 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2,450 MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 8 h/day
Exposure Context
This study used 5 or 20 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 500Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 8.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 0.76 and 0.66 , 3.8 and 3.3 , 15.2 and 13.2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 1.7x 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
Two studies were performed to determine if repeated exposure of the avian egg to microwaves can alter metabolism, temperature, and growth rate of embryos. Another aim was to supplement conventional heating with microwave heating and provide an optimal temperature for growth.
Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) eggs were exposed from day 1 through 15 of incubation (8...
Repeated exposures to microwaves at 5 and 20 mW/cm2 at the same Ta (30 °C) increased wet-embryo mass...
Show BibTeX
@article{de_1991_thermal_and_metabolic_responsiveness_1340,
author = {Spiers DE and Baummer SC},
title = {Thermal and metabolic responsiveness of Japanese quail embryos following periodic exposure to 2,450 MHz microwaves. },
year = {1991},
doi = {10.1002/bem.2250120404},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.2250120404},
}