Effect of microwave radiation on Candida albicans.
Rosaspina S, Salvatorelli G, Anzanel D, Bovolenta R · 1994
View Original AbstractMicrowave radiation fractured fungal cells in ways that heat alone could not, demonstrating powerful non-thermal biological effects.
Plain English Summary
Italian researchers exposed Candida albicans fungus (a common yeast that causes infections) to microwave radiation for 90 seconds and found it completely sterilized the organisms while causing dramatic cellular damage visible under microscopy. Interestingly, boiling water killed the fungus but caused no visible structural damage, suggesting microwaves work through a different mechanism than simple heating. This demonstrates that microwave radiation can cause severe cellular disruption in living organisms beyond just thermal effects.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation causes biological effects that go far beyond simple heating. The fact that 90 seconds of microwave exposure literally fractured fungal cells while boiling water at the same temperature caused death without structural damage tells us something important about how microwaves interact with living tissue. While this research focused on sterilization applications, it raises significant questions about what these non-thermal effects might mean for human cells exposed to similar frequencies from wireless devices. The cellular fracturing observed here occurred at power levels likely far higher than your phone or WiFi router, but the fundamental mechanism - that microwaves can disrupt cellular structure through non-thermal pathways - applies across exposure levels. This adds to the growing body of evidence that we cannot simply dismiss EMF bioeffects as 'just heating.'
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 90 s
Study Details
to study the effect of microwave radiation on Candida albicans
Microwave exposure (90 s) provides an effective, rapid sterilization for surgical scalpel blades whi...
Show BibTeX
@article{s_1994_effect_of_microwave_radiation_2542,
author = {Rosaspina S and Salvatorelli G and Anzanel D and Bovolenta R},
title = {Effect of microwave radiation on Candida albicans.},
year = {1994},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8022308/},
}