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Brain & Nervous SystemPart of the Glaser Archive

The Effects of Microwave Radiation on Microtubules and Axonal Transport

No Effects Found

L-E. Paulsson, Y. Hamnerius, W. G. McLean · 1977

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Rabbit brain tissue showed no microtubule damage from 3.1 GHz microwaves below 4,000 W/m² - far above typical phone exposures.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rabbit brain tissue and nerve cells to 3.1 GHz pulsed microwave radiation to test whether it could damage microtubules, the cellular structures responsible for transporting materials within cells. They found no effects on microtubule function, protein binding, or nerve transport at power levels below 4,000 watts per square meter. This suggests that microwave radiation at typical environmental levels may not directly disrupt these fundamental cellular processes.

Finding

The results of these investigations did not reveal any noticeable effect of microwave irradiation on microtubules or axonal transport.

In their words

“The results of these investigations did not reveal any noticeable effect of microwave irradiation on microtubules or axonal transport.”

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagrams extracted from the original research document.

graphPage 6 - Fig. 1. Change of specific viscosity of soluble extracts of rabbit brain incubated at 37.0°C.
p. 6 of the original PDF
graphPage 7 - The profile of [3H]leucine-labeled proteins in rabbit vagus nerves incubated in vitro for 24 hr, showing protein bound radioactivity per 5 mm nerve as a percentage of the total radioactivity between points A and B.
p. 7 of the original PDF
diagramPage 9 - Figure 3 illustrates a PTFE container used for irradiating biological samples and a one-dimensional mathematical model of a biological sample within this container.
p. 9 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
L-E. Paulsson, Y. Hamnerius, W. G. McLean (1977). The Effects of Microwave Radiation on Microtubules and Axonal Transport.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_effects_of_microwave_radiation_on_microtubules_and_axonal_transport_g4567,
  author = {L-E. Paulsson and Y. Hamnerius and W. G. McLean},
  title = {The Effects of Microwave Radiation on Microtubules and Axonal Transport},
  year = {1977},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

Microtubules are hollow protein tubes that act like highways inside cells, transporting materials and maintaining cell structure. Researchers thought microwave radiation might damage these structures, explaining various biological effects they'd observed in animals.
3.1 GHz falls within the microwave range used by some WiFi routers and is close to cell phone frequencies (0.8-2.7 GHz). It's lower than some 5G frequencies but similar enough to provide relevant insights.
4,000 W/m² is extremely high - about 100 times stronger than holding a cell phone to your head. This suggests microtubules are quite resistant to microwave damage at realistic exposure levels.
They used isolated rabbit brain tissue and nerve samples in laboratory dishes, not whole living animals. This allowed precise control but may not reflect how intact biological systems respond to microwave exposure.
Microtubules are found in all cells and perform critical functions like cell division and material transport. Researchers theorized that disrupting these structures could explain the variety of biological effects seen with microwave exposure.