Acute exposure to pulsed 2450-MHz microwaves affects water maze learning in the rat.
Wang, BM, Lai, H · 2000
View Original AbstractOne hour of WiFi-frequency microwave exposure impaired spatial memory in rats at radiation levels similar to cell phone use.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to pulsed microwave radiation at 2450 MHz (similar to WiFi frequency) for one hour before each training session in a water maze learning task. The microwave-exposed rats took longer to learn where a hidden platform was located and showed different swimming patterns compared to unexposed rats, indicating impaired spatial memory. This suggests that even brief microwave exposure can affect brain function and learning ability.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that microwave radiation at frequencies we encounter daily can impair cognitive function. The 2450 MHz frequency used here is the same as WiFi and microwave ovens, and the 1.2 W/kg SAR level falls within ranges measured from cell phones during calls. What makes this research particularly significant is that the memory deficits occurred after just one hour of exposure, and the researchers carefully controlled for motor function to ensure the learning problems weren't due to physical impairment. The fact that exposed rats used different learning strategies suggests the radiation altered their brain processing in fundamental ways. This adds to a growing body of research indicating that our daily exposure to wireless radiation may be affecting our cognitive abilities in ways we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 1.2 W/kg
- Power Density
- 2 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- 2450-MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 Hour
Exposure Context
This study used 2 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 200Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 3.3Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 1.2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 3x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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
The aim of this study is to investigate Acute exposure to pulsed 2450-MHz microwaves affects water maze learning in the rat.
Rats were trained in six sessions to locate a submerged platform in a circular water maze. They were...
Microwave-exposed rats were slower than sham-exposed and cage control rats in learning to locate the...
These results show that acute exposure to pulsed microwaves caused a deficit in spatial "reference" memory in the rat.
Show BibTeX
@article{wang_2000_acute_exposure_to_pulsed_1419,
author = {Wang and BM and Lai and H},
title = {Acute exposure to pulsed 2450-MHz microwaves affects water maze learning in the rat.},
year = {2000},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10615092/},
}