SCATTERING AND ABSORPTION OF MICROWAVES BY DISSIPATIVE DIELECTRIC OBJECTS: THE BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND HAZARDS TO MANKIND
A. Anne, H. P. Schwan · 1963
This 1963 research established fundamental principles of how microwaves interact with biological tissue that remain relevant today.
Plain English Summary
This 1963 technical report by HP Schwan examined how biological tissues scatter and absorb microwave radiation, focusing on the dielectric properties that make living tissue interact with electromagnetic fields. The research explored the fundamental physics of how microwaves penetrate and affect biological materials. This early work helped establish the scientific foundation for understanding microwave biological effects and potential health hazards.
Why This Matters
HP Schwan's 1963 research represents pioneering work in understanding how biological tissues interact with microwave radiation. At a time when microwave technology was rapidly expanding beyond radar applications, Schwan recognized the critical need to understand how electromagnetic fields affect living systems. His focus on dielectric properties - essentially how biological materials conduct and store electromagnetic energy - laid crucial groundwork for modern EMF health research. What makes this work particularly significant is its timing: Schwan was investigating biological hazards from microwave exposure decades before cell phones, WiFi, and other wireless technologies became ubiquitous. The reality is that the fundamental physics he studied in 1963 still governs how today's wireless devices interact with human tissue, yet regulatory agencies continue to rely on outdated safety standards that don't fully account for these biological interactions.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
To investigate the scattering and absorption of microwaves by dissipative dielectric objects and examine the biological significance and hazards to mankind from exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation
Theoretical and experimental studies including analysis of scattering and absorption of electromagne...
The study provides calculations and results for relative absorption cross sections of spheres and co...
Present indications are that the effects of excessive amounts of radiation are caused solely by the heat resulting from the absorbed energy. It has been assumed that in the case of total body irradiation, a fever corresponding to a temperature rise greater than 1°C is intolerable.
Show BibTeX
@article{scattering_and_absorption_of_microwaves_by_dissipative_dielectric_objects_the_bi_g5520,
author = {A. Anne and H. P. Schwan},
title = {SCATTERING AND ABSORPTION OF MICROWAVES BY DISSIPATIVE DIELECTRIC OBJECTS: THE BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND HAZARDS TO MANKIND},
year = {1963},
}