THE NEURAL EFFECTS OF MICROWAVE IRRADIATION
Robert T. Nieset, Rene Baus, Robert D. McAfee, Joseph D. Fleming, Jr., Lawrence R. Pinneo · 1959
Scientists were documenting microwave radiation's effects on neural function in 1959, decades before widespread wireless technology adoption.
Plain English Summary
This 1959 quarterly technical report examined how microwave radiation affects neural function, representing some of the earliest formal research into electromagnetic effects on the nervous system. The study focused on understanding the biological mechanisms by which microwave energy interacts with neural tissue. This research helped establish the foundation for decades of investigation into EMF effects on brain and nervous system function.
Why This Matters
What makes this 1959 report remarkable is its timing. Scientists were investigating microwave effects on the nervous system before most people had even heard of microwaves, let alone carried them in their pockets. This early research recognized what we're still grappling with today: electromagnetic fields don't just heat tissue, they interact with our most delicate biological systems in ways we're only beginning to understand.
The reality is that our neural tissue operates on electrical impulses measured in millivolts. When you expose this exquisitely sensitive system to artificial electromagnetic fields, biological effects become not just possible, but inevitable. While we don't have the specific findings from this 1959 study, the fact that researchers were documenting neural effects from microwave radiation over six decades ago should give us pause about our current wireless saturation.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 200 mW/cm²
Exposure Context
This study used 200 mW/cm² for radio frequency:
- 20,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 333.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To determine the neural effects of microwaves, specifically focusing on peripheral neural effects using animal subjects and steady (d.c.) potentials as related to integrated activity or behavior using human subjects.
Experiments were conducted using animal subjects (cats) to determine peripheral neural effects of mi...
Initial experiments with cats during May and June demonstrate the withdrawal or nociceptive response...
Initial results from the peripheral nerve experiments indicate that previous reports of neural effects by various investigators may be explainable as effects due to local heating of peripheral nerves rather than to excitation of the central nervous system. The study suggests that local temperature increases in nerves may produce nociceptive reflexes similar to those observed with thermal stimulation. The work on steady potentials indicates that d.c. potentials in the CNS are involved in cortical-reticular formation 'arousal' or activation and are correlated with physiological activity and performance.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_neural_effects_of_microwave_irradiation_g3707,
author = {Robert T. Nieset and Rene Baus and Robert D. McAfee and Joseph D. Fleming and Jr. and Lawrence R. Pinneo},
title = {THE NEURAL EFFECTS OF MICROWAVE IRRADIATION},
year = {1959},
}