Resonance effect of millimeter waves in the power range from 10(-19) to 3 x 10(-3) W/cm2 on Escherichia coli cells at different concentrations.
Belyaev IY, Shcheglov VS, Alipov YD, Polunin VA · 1996
View Original AbstractBacteria showed genetic changes from millimeter waves at power levels trillions of times weaker than cell phone radiation.
Plain English Summary
Russian researchers exposed E. coli bacteria to extremely weak millimeter waves (similar to 5G frequencies) and found that the bacteria's genetic material changed its physical structure in response. The effect occurred at specific frequencies and happened even at power levels trillions of times weaker than typical wireless device emissions. This suggests that biological systems can detect and respond to radiofrequency radiation at far lower intensities than previously thought possible.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something remarkable: biological effects from radiofrequency radiation can occur at power densities as low as 10^-19 W/cm2 - that's 18 orders of magnitude below typical cell phone emissions. The researchers found that E. coli bacteria showed measurable changes in their genome's physical structure when exposed to specific millimeter wave frequencies, with the effect persisting across an enormous range of power levels. What makes this particularly significant is that the frequencies tested (51.6-51.8 GHz) fall within the millimeter wave bands now being deployed for 5G networks. The fact that these effects occurred at such extraordinarily low power levels challenges the conventional assumption that only thermal effects from RF radiation matter for biological systems. This research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that living cells can detect and respond to electromagnetic fields through non-thermal mechanisms that current safety standards don't account for.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.00000000000000009999999999999998558 - 3 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 51.64 - 51.85 GHz
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The effect of millimeter waves (MMWs) on the genome conformational state (GCS) of E. coli AB1157 cells was studied by the method of anomalous viscosity time dependencies (AVTD) in the frequency range of 51.64-51.85 GHz.
The 51.755 GHz resonance frequency of the cell reaction to MMWs did not depend on power density (PD)...
The results obtained were explained in the framework of a model of electron-conformational interactions. The frequency-time parameters of this model appeared to be in good agreement with experimental data.
Show BibTeX
@article{iy_1996_resonance_effect_of_millimeter_853,
author = {Belyaev IY and Shcheglov VS and Alipov YD and Polunin VA},
title = {Resonance effect of millimeter waves in the power range from 10(-19) to 3 x 10(-3) W/cm2 on Escherichia coli cells at different concentrations.},
year = {1996},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/(SICI)1521-186X(1996)17:4%3C312::AID-BEM7%3E3.0.CO;2-6},
}