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10.0 "Biological Effects of Microwave Radiation: A White Paper" The White Paper reproduced below was written by Dr nonthermal nature of these effects as opposed to acute Cletus Kanavy, chief of the Biological Effects Group of the exposure thermal effects. Ample experimental evidence Phillips Laboratory's Electromagnetic Effects Division at exists from credible researchers from well-established and Kirtland Air Force Base, NM, in October 1992. The refer- highly regarded institutions, both government and univer- ences at the end of Kanavy's paper are omitted here. sity, to justify a national research program into the full spectrum of biological effects of electromagnetic radiation. The biological effects of microwave radiation on living The principal electromagnetic biological effects of great- organisms have been the subject of extensive research for est concem are behavioral aberrations, neural network per- the past four decades. The most comprehensive programs _turbations, fetal (embryonic) tissue damage (inducing birth were conducted by the Soviet and Eastern Bloc nations. defect), cataractogenesis, altered blood chemistry, meta- The US has lagged behind badly in this area of research. bolic changes and suppression of the endocrine and Initially, the principal concern for human exposure to immune systems. The verification of blood-brain barrier microwave radiation was that of thermal heating of the tis- suppression should have a high priority. The passage of sues. Permissive exposure limits were based on such crite- normal blood-borne toxins into the brain could explain ria. Since the 1970s this limit has been progressively set at some previously observed-early behavioral aberrations, lower levels of average field power density for the classi- loss of physical endurance, and functional central nervous cal six-minute time average period. These limits, which system and perceptual changes. A large amount of data are published as the American National Standards Institute exists, both animal experimental and human clinical evi- (ANS) microwave standards, are actually derived by the dence, to support the existence of chronic, nonthermal Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). effects. The Soviet studies of humans under occupational Under IEEE, a blue-ribbon panel of experts periodically conditions report marked functional changes, sometimes reviews the research database and assesses the need to accompanied by histological and biochemical changes, revise the standards. Until 1991, these standards did not under the chronic influence of microwaves at power densi- consider the possible biological effects of "pulsed" ties ranging from fractions of microwatts to a few milli- microwaves, The 1991 standards do address the pulse watts per square centimeter. Research to date has concen- condition (rather shabbily, I believe), place restrictions on trated on determining the psychological/physiological the number of pulses per six-minute time period as a func- effects (changes) produced by electromagnetic fields of tion of pulse width, and continue to use the continuous various power densities, carrier frequencies and modula- wave time averaging technique for thermal criteria. The tion rates. These results are the macroscopic part of the existence of nonthermal effects is essentially denied by issue. The microscopic part of the issue urgently needs to omission. be addressed—namely the physical mechanisms behind The US research community was aware of the Soviet the various observed biological effects. Various theories findings of deleterious biological effects at exposures well and interaction models exist to explain, in a limited way, below the ANS! standards. The Soviet findings were some of these physical mechanisms for specific effects. rejected for various reasons. The principal reason was that None have yet been positively verified. This is believed to US attempts to duplicate the Soviet results were reportedly be a key issue which needs to be addressed as soon as pos- not successful. It was not until the mid-1980s that US sible... researchers began to successfully duplicate Soviet experi- Other areas of concern center on the uninvestigated mental results and began a research program to expand human response to high-peak, low average power, moder- upon and further test the Soviet nonthermal theories. ate-to-high-pulse repetition frequency microwave fields. Since March 1991, we have been conducting a compre- The relationships between these variables and specific hensive search of worldwide literature on the results of human responses should be of prime importance to the experimentation regarding biological effects produced by directed energy weapon (DEW) development programs. microwave radiation. The results of this search have been The ability of certain modulation frequencies imposed on consolidated into a computerized database which we have various carrier frequencies to affect (lock onto) circadian shared with the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center rhythms poses a formidable research problem. A principal and the Central Intelligence Agency. We attempted to question raised is the existence of "frequency windows" share the database with the Armstrong Laboratory. A list and resonances associated with certain physiological and of the holdings in the database was presented to Dr Dave psychological responses. The past several issues of Erwin of Armstrong who proceeded to ‘line-out’ the publi- Bioelectromagnetics have contained many articles by cations of researchers he believed not to be credible. prominent US researchers which report nonthermal effects. These were researchers who were reporting the positive New concerns are also forthcoming, i.e., bio-effects of existence of nonthermal effects. ELF and electromagnetic fields in close proximity to high- The literature published in the late 1980s is abundant voltage power lines and transformer banks. Thus the with information on nonthermal effects which are pro- entire issue of human interaction with electromagnetic (RF duced at levels below the ANSI standards. These are & microwave) radiation is pushing forward as a major essentially chronic exposure effects at low levels of aver- national population health concer. age field power densities. Researchers stress the chronic, (Reprinted from Microwave News, Sept/Oct 1993) 42 © NEXUS JUNE - JULY 1995