Early Research on the Biological Effects of Microwave Radiation: 1940-1960
Harold J. Cook, Nicholas H. Steneck, Arthur J. Vander, Gordon L. Kane · 1980
Early microwave research was shaped by military and medical interests, not public health priorities.
Plain English Summary
This 1980 historical review examined how microwave radiation research developed from the 1940s-1960s, driven first by medical diathermy applications, then by military radar safety concerns. The analysis revealed how these competing interests shaped early EMF science, culminating in the massive Tri-Service military research program from 1957-1960.
Why This Matters
This historical analysis reveals a troubling pattern that continues today: EMF research priorities driven by industry and military interests rather than public health. The science demonstrates how early microwave research was essentially hijacked by competing agendas - first promoting medical applications, then scrambling to address military safety concerns when hazards emerged. What this means for you is that the foundation of EMF safety standards was built on research shaped by institutional priorities, not independent health investigation. The reality is that this same dynamic persists today, with telecommunications companies funding much of the research used to justify current exposure limits. You don't have to accept that decades-old military research priorities should determine your family's EMF exposure levels today.
Finding
The consequence of this shift was twofold. First, it significantly altered the funding patterns and institutional setting in which the majority of research was conducted. Second, it resulted ultimately in the near abandonment of the field when, at the end of the first major research effort on biological effects, the Tri-Service program of the years 1957—1960, those setting policy had solved to their own satisfaction the major problems that concerned them and withdrew their support, leaving the field stranded until new sources for funding were found.
In their words
“The consequence of this shift was twofold. First, it significantly altered the funding patterns and institutional setting in which the majority of research was conducted. Second, it resulted ultimately in the near abandonment of the field when, at the end of the first major research effort on biological effects, the Tri-Service program of the years 1957—1960, those setting policy had solved to their own satisfaction the major problems that concerned them and withdrew their support, leaving the field stranded until new sources for funding were found.”
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Show BibTeX
@article{early_research_on_the_biological_effects_of_microwave_radiation_1940_1960_g7310,
author = {Harold J. Cook and Nicholas H. Steneck and Arthur J. Vander and Gordon L. Kane},
title = {Early Research on the Biological Effects of Microwave Radiation: 1940-1960},
year = {1980},
}