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MOLECULAR RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS TO ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCY FIELDS

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Herman P. Schwan · 1958

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In 1958 Herman Schwan noted that nothing reported had proved nonthermal microwave effects, and he described two possible molecular mechanisms for them.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1958 technical report by Herman P. Schwan, from a lecture at the Second Tri-Service Conference on Biological Effects of Microwave Energy, analyzed the dielectric properties of tissues and examined potential nonthermal effects of ultra-high frequency fields. It states that research on electromagnetic radiation is of a thermal nature and that nothing reported proves clearly or indicates strongly the presence of nonthermal effects, though this does not rule out their existence. It considers dielectric saturation leading to denaturation, most likely at 100 to 300 mc, and pearl chain formation as possible mechanisms.

Why This Matters

Schwan's 1958 report is a theoretical analysis of tissue dielectric properties rather than an experimental demonstration of nonthermal effects. It explains that in the radar frequency range tissues behave as protein solutions, and that at very high frequencies cell membranes "disappear" and tissues appear as electrolytes containing proteins.

He reasons that if nonthermal effects exist, they will probably be explained on a molecular, submicroscopic or microscopic level. He concludes that effects of orientation may exist down to about one micron and that breakage of molecular bonds may occur under pulsed conditions involving high field values at the lower end of the radar frequency range. He also notes that present techniques might be inadequate to recognize nonthermal effects.

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagrams extracted from the original research document.

graphPage 5 - AI-described figure: Figure 1 displays two graphs labeled (a) and (b), where graph (a) is a horizontal line representing velocity 'v' over time, and graph (b) shows a curve with an initial sharp decline followed by a plateau at -ε₀E.
p. 5 of the original PDF
graphPage 6 - AI-described figure: Figure 2 displays two graphs labeled (a) and (b), each showing a curve with axes labeled 'x' or 'ε' on the horizontal axis and 'f/k₀' on the vertical axis, indicating some form of relationship between these variables.
p. 6 of the original PDF
graphPage 9 - AI-described figure: Figure showing electrical parameters ε and κ as functions of frequency f with corresponding equations below.
p. 9 of the original PDF
graphPage 10 - AI-described figure: Figure 4: A graph showing the relationship between dielectric constant ε and conductivity κ as a function of frequency in mHz/cm.
p. 10 of the original PDF

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 1 MHz to 1 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 1 MHz to 1 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

To analyze molecular response characteristics to ultra-high frequency fields and investigate potential nonthermal effects.

The study analyzes dielectric properties of tissues and biological suspensions, examining frequency-...

The research demonstrates that tissues behave as protein solutions with dielectric properties that c...

Nonthermal effects are likely to occur at the molecular level, particularly through dielectric saturation causing denaturation at lower radar frequencies (100-300 mc) and through pearl chain formation at high field strengths. The study suggests that effects of orientation may exist down to about one micron level.

Cite This Study
Herman P. Schwan (1958). MOLECULAR RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS TO ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCY FIELDS.
Show BibTeX
@article{molecular_response_characteristics_to_ultra_high_frequency_fields_g4053,
  author = {Herman P. Schwan},
  title = {MOLECULAR RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS TO ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCY FIELDS},
  year = {1958},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Schwan analyzed the dielectric properties of tissues and biological suspensions such as erythrocytes, bacteria and muscle, and considered two possible molecular mechanisms for nonthermal effects: dielectric saturation leading to denaturation, and pearl chain formation.
He stated that nothing reported proves clearly or indicates strongly the presence of nonthermal effects, but that this does not rule out their existence because present techniques might be inadequate to recognize them. He concluded that effects of orientation may exist down to about one micron and that breakage of molecular bonds may occur under pulsed conditions involving high field values at the lower end of the radar frequency range.
In the report, nonthermal effects are effects other than the thermal responses resulting from the dielectric and ionic properties of electrolytes. Schwan reasoned that any such effects would originate with dielectrically distinguishable protein and protein lipid complexes.
Schwan noted that no thermostat could be constructed to keep the temperature throughout the body at a normal level and thereby exclude thermal effects. The variability of animal responses is also high enough to make it difficult to establish exact relationships between dose and effects, which are a prerequisite for establishing the existence of any nonthermal components.
Pearl chain formation is the alignment of particles in a chain when subjected to a high frequency field, as seen with erythrocytes and fat particles. Schwan found chain formation of red blood corpuscles and particles of a similar size to be probable, and improbable for proteins or other particles of a corresponding size.