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Studies on the Effect of Radio-Frequency Waves on Biological Macromolecules

No Effects Found

Shiro Takashima · 1966

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1966 research found no DNA or enzyme damage from 1-60 MHz radio frequencies, but tested limited biological endpoints.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1966 study examined whether radio-frequency electric fields between 1 and 60 MHz could damage biological molecules like DNA and enzymes. Using pulsed fields and cooling to avoid heating effects, researchers found no changes to the structure of DNA or the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme even after prolonged high-intensity exposure.

Finding

The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and the structure of DNA were not altered, however, even by the prolonged irradiation at high-field intensity between 1 and about 60 Mc/s.

In their words

“The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase and the structure of DNA were not altered, however, even by the prolonged irradiation at high-field intensity between 1 and about 60 Mc/s.”

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagrams extracted from the original research document.

diagramPage 2 - Block diagram of radio-frequency generating circuit, irradiation cell and electrical test equipment.
p. 2 of the original PDF
graphPage 3 - Figure 2. The activity of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase before and after irradiation at 10 Mc/s. The ordinate is the log of remaining DPN, and the abscissa is the time of reaction in seconds.
p. 3 of the original PDF
chartPage 4 - Figure 3. The ratio of the first-order rate constant of irradiated and control yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.
p. 4 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
Shiro Takashima (1966). Studies on the Effect of Radio-Frequency Waves on Biological Macromolecules.
Show BibTeX
@article{studies_on_the_effect_of_radio_frequency_waves_on_biological_macromolecules_g5688,
  author = {Shiro Takashima},
  title = {Studies on the Effect of Radio-Frequency Waves on Biological Macromolecules},
  year = {1966},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

No, this 1966 study found no structural changes to DNA even after prolonged exposure to radio-frequency fields between 1 and 60 MHz. However, the research only examined DNA structure, not other potential biological effects.
This study found that alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme activity remained unchanged even with high-intensity radio-frequency exposure between 1-60 MHz. The researchers used pulsed fields and cooling to avoid heating effects.
The researchers used pulsed electric fields instead of continuous exposure and rigorously cooled the samples. This approach allowed them to test for non-thermal biological effects of radio-frequency radiation.
This foundational 1966 study examined frequencies between 1 and about 60 megahertz (MHz). This range is below modern cell phone frequencies but overlaps with FM radio and some wireless communications.
No damage was observed to DNA structure or alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme function, even with prolonged high-intensity radio-frequency exposure. However, the study only examined these two specific biological targets.