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Studies on biological effects of microwave radiation. 4. Experimental studies on the biological effects of long term irradiation with microwaves in the healthy mouse

No Effects Found

Ban K · 1967

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Mice showed clear avoidance behaviors when exposed to microwaves, suggesting biological detection even without visible tissue damage.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Japanese researchers exposed 50 mice to microwave radiation at various power densities (6.8 to 43.4 mW/cm²) for 5 minutes daily over 7 weeks. Despite observing behavioral changes like face washing and avoidance behaviors at higher power levels, microscopic examination of organs showed no tissue damage. Only one mouse died during the study period.

Why This Matters

This 1967 study provides an early glimpse into chronic microwave exposure effects, though its conclusion of 'no deleterious effects' deserves scrutiny. The mice clearly responded to the radiation with avoidance behaviors - washing faces, turning away from antennas, and attempting to escape the microwave field. These behavioral responses suggest the animals detected something harmful, even if microscopic tissue damage wasn't apparent with 1960s examination techniques.

The power densities tested (6.8 to 43.4 mW/cm²) are significantly higher than typical cell phone exposures today, which average around 1-2 mW/cm². However, modern devices expose us continuously rather than just 5 minutes daily. The study's limited scope - examining only gross tissue damage rather than cellular, genetic, or neurological effects - reflects the primitive understanding of EMF bioeffects in that era. The animals' clear behavioral responses warrant more attention than the researchers gave them.

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagrams extracted from the original research document.

graphPage 3 - Figure 2. Distribution of power densities of our microwave generator.
p. 3 of the original PDF
chartPage 4 - AI-described figure: Figure 3 illustrates the arrangement of microwave exposure setup.
p. 4 of the original PDF
graphPage 5 - AI-described figure: Figures showing mean body weights and confidence intervals for different groups over weeks.
p. 5 of the original PDF
graphPage 6 - AI-described figure: Figure 4 graph showing the average lung depth in a group exposed to 6.8 mW/cm² of radiation over several weeks.
p. 6 of the original PDF
diagramPage 7 - Histological section of adrenal gland showing marked congestion and cellular degenerations in the fasciculate zone (Fig. 8a)
p. 7 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
Ban K (1967). Studies on biological effects of microwave radiation. 4. Experimental studies on the biological effects of long term irradiation with microwaves in the healthy mouse.
Show BibTeX
@article{studies_on_biological_effects_of_microwave_radiation_4_experimental_studies_on_t_g6346,
  author = {Ban K},
  title = {Studies on biological effects of microwave radiation. 4. Experimental studies on the biological effects of long term irradiation with microwaves in the healthy mouse},
  year = {1967},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Mice exhibited face washing, turned their backs toward the radiating antenna, and actively tried to evade the microwave emanation, particularly at the two highest power densities of 43.4 and 22.9 mW/cm².
The study used 6.8 to 43.4 mW/cm², which is 3-20 times higher than typical cell phone exposures of 1-2 mW/cm². However, modern devices expose us continuously rather than just 5 minutes daily.
Only one male mouse from the highest exposure group (43.4 mW/cm²) died during the third week of the experiment. The researchers did not definitively attribute this death to microwave exposure.
Researchers performed extensive histological examination of various organs from 10 surviving mice after the 7-week exposure period, though the study doesn't specify which organs were examined or the examination techniques used.
The study only examined gross tissue damage using 1960s microscopy techniques, missing potential cellular, genetic, neurological, or biochemical effects that modern research methods can detect. The clear behavioral responses suggest undetected biological impacts.