Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Microwave Lens Effects in Humans
No Effects Found
COL Budd Appleton, George C. McCrossan · 1972
Military study found no cataract differences between high microwave-exposed personnel and controls in 1972.
Plain English Summary
Summary written for general audiences
Military researchers examined the eyes of personnel with the highest occupational microwave exposure levels alongside 135 unexposed controls, with examiners unaware of who had been exposed. They found no difference in lens abnormalities (cataracts, opacities, or other damage) between the two groups, concluding that chronic microwave exposure in military settings wasn't causing cataracts.
Cite This Study
COL Budd Appleton, George C. McCrossan (1972). Microwave Lens Effects in Humans.
Show BibTeX
@article{microwave_lens_effects_in_humans_g5935,
author = {COL Budd Appleton and George C. McCrossan},
title = {Microwave Lens Effects in Humans},
year = {1972},
}Quick Questions About This Study
No, researchers found no statistical difference in lens abnormalities between military personnel with the highest occupational microwave exposures and unexposed control groups when examined using double-blind methodology.
The study included 135 control personnel who were examined alongside the microwave-exposed military workers, with examiners having no knowledge of each person's exposure history during examination.
Researchers used biomicroscopic examination to detect objective evidence of lens damage including opacities, vacuoles, and posterior subcapsular iridescence that could indicate microwave-induced cataract formation.
Yes, the examiners had no knowledge of any person's microwave exposure history before or during the eye examinations, ensuring unbiased assessment of lens abnormalities between exposed and control groups.
The study examined personnel with the highest microwave exposure levels encountered in military operational environments, though specific power densities or frequencies were not detailed in the available information.