Effects of continuous and pulsed 2450-MHz radiation on spontaneous lymphoblastoid transformation of human lymphocytes in vitro.
Czerska EM, Elson EC, Davis CC, Swicord ML, Czerski P · 1992
View Original AbstractPulsed microwave radiation triggered immune cell changes without heating, while continuous radiation at identical power levels did not.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human immune cells (lymphocytes) to microwave radiation at 2.45 GHz for five days, comparing continuous waves versus pulsed waves at the same power levels. They found that pulsed microwave radiation enhanced cellular transformation even when temperatures stayed normal, while continuous waves only caused effects when heating occurred. This suggests that the timing pattern of radiation exposure, not just the total energy, affects how our immune cells respond.
Why This Matters
This 1992 FDA study reveals a critical distinction that challenges the thermal-only safety paradigm still used today. The researchers found that pulsed 2.45 GHz radiation (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and WiFi) triggered immune cell changes at non-heating levels, while continuous radiation at identical power levels did not. Put simply, how the radiation is delivered matters as much as how much is delivered. The SAR levels used (up to 12.3 W/kg) are higher than typical cell phone exposures (around 1.6 W/kg), but the fundamental finding remains troubling. What this means for you is that current safety standards, which only consider heating effects and average power levels, may be missing non-thermal biological impacts from the pulsed signals that dominate our wireless world today.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 12.3 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 2450-MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 5 days
Exposure Context
This study used 12.3 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 30.8x 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 evaluate Effects of continuous and pulsed 2450-MHz radiation on spontaneous lymphoblastoid transformation of human lymphocytes in vitro.
Normal human lymphocytes were isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors. One-ml samples c...
The results were compared among each of the experimental conditions and with sham-exposed cultures. ...
We conclude that PW 2450-MHz radiation acts differently on the process of lymphoblastoid transformation in vitro compared with CW 2450-MHz radiation at the same average SARs.
Show BibTeX
@article{em_1992_effects_of_continuous_and_915,
author = {Czerska EM and Elson EC and Davis CC and Swicord ML and Czerski P},
title = {Effects of continuous and pulsed 2450-MHz radiation on spontaneous lymphoblastoid transformation of human lymphocytes in vitro.},
year = {1992},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1510735/},
}