Microwaves and cellular immunity: II. Immunostimulating effects of microwaves and naturally occurring antioxidant nutrients
E.G Novoselova, E.E Fesenko, V.R Makar, V.B Sadovnikov · 1999
View Original AbstractUltra-low microwave exposure stimulated rather than suppressed immune function in mice, challenging assumptions about EMF dose-response relationships.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to extremely low-power microwave radiation (8.15-18 GHz) for 5 hours and found it actually stimulated their immune systems, increasing production of immune signaling molecules and enhancing T cell activity. The immune boost was further enhanced when mice were given antioxidant nutrients like vitamin E and beta-carotene. This suggests that very low-level microwave exposure might trigger beneficial immune responses rather than suppress immunity.
Why This Matters
This study presents an interesting paradox in EMF research: while higher-power microwave exposure typically suppresses immune function, this research found that extremely low-power exposure (0.001 mW/cm2) actually stimulated immunity. The power density used here is roughly 1,000 times lower than typical cell phone emissions, representing environmental background levels you might encounter from distant cell towers or WiFi routers. What this means for you is that the immune effects of EMF exposure appear to follow a complex dose-response relationship rather than a simple 'more exposure equals more harm' pattern. The finding that antioxidant nutrients enhanced these effects also suggests your nutritional status may influence how your body responds to EMF exposure, though we need human studies to confirm these animal findings.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.001 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 8.15–18 GHz (1 Hz within)
- Exposure Duration
- 5 hours
Exposure Context
This study used 0.001 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 100Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 1.7Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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 investigate Microwaves and cellular immunity: II. Immunostimulating effects of microwaves and naturally occurring antioxidant nutrients
The effect of 8.15–18 GHz (1 Hz within) microwave radiation at a power density of 1 μW/cm2 on the tu...
A single 5 h whole-body exposure induced a significant increase in TNF production in peritoneal macr...
These results demonstrate that irradiation with low-power density microwaves stimulates the immune potential of macrophages and T cells, and the antioxidant treatment enhances the effect of microwaves, in particular at later terms, when the effect of irradiation is reduced.
Show BibTeX
@article{novoselova_1999_microwaves_and_cellular_immunity_1075,
author = {E.G Novoselova and E.E Fesenko and V.R Makar and V.B Sadovnikov},
title = {Microwaves and cellular immunity: II. Immunostimulating effects of microwaves and naturally occurring antioxidant nutrients},
year = {1999},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0302459899000598?billing_country=US},
}