Naltrexone-sensitive analgesia following exposure of mice to 2450-MHz radiofrequency radiation
Maillefer RH, Quock RM · 1992
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation triggered stress-response mechanisms in mice at high heating levels, showing RF effects extend beyond simple tissue warming.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (the same frequency used in microwave ovens) for 10 minutes and measured their pain response. They found that higher radiation levels caused the mice's bodies to heat up and triggered natural pain-killing mechanisms in the brain, similar to how the body responds to other forms of thermal stress. This suggests that microwave radiation can cause biological effects beyond just heating tissue.
Why This Matters
This 1992 study provides important evidence that radiofrequency radiation produces measurable biological responses through thermal mechanisms at relatively high exposure levels. The SAR values used (23.7 to 45.5 W/kg) are substantially higher than current safety limits for cell phones (2 W/kg), but they demonstrate that RF radiation can trigger the body's stress response systems when heating occurs. What makes this research significant is that it shows RF exposure doesn't just heat tissue passively - it activates complex biological pathways, including the brain's opioid system that normally responds to pain and stress. While these exposure levels exceed typical daily RF encounters, the study illustrates how electromagnetic fields can influence neurological processes when thermal thresholds are reached, supporting the need for continued research into RF bioeffects.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 23.7, 34.6, and 45.5 W/kg
- Power Density
- 10, 15, and 20 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2450-MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 10 min
Exposure Context
This study used 10, 15, and 20 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 1,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 16.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 23.7, 34.6, and 45.5 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 59.2x 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
To determine whether exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) would induce sufficient thermal stress to activate endogenous opioid mechanisms.
For the present study,male Swiss Webster mice were exposed to 10, 15, and 20 mW/cm2 RFR in a 2450-MH...
Confinement in the RFR exposure chamber alone did not appreciably alter body temperature but did app...
These findings suggest that 1) RFR produces SAR-dependent hyperthermia and analgesia, and 2) RFR-induced analgesia is mediated by opioid mechanisms while confinement-induced analgesia involves nonopioid mechanisms.
Show BibTeX
@article{rh_1992_naltrexonesensitive_analgesia_following_exposure_1172,
author = {Maillefer RH and Quock RM},
title = {Naltrexone-sensitive analgesia following exposure of mice to 2450-MHz radiofrequency radiation},
year = {1992},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1409913/},
}