Chronic exposure of rats to 100-MHz (CW) radiofrequency radiation: assessment of biological effects.

A multidisciplinary approach was employed to assess the possible biological effects of chronic exposure of rats to 100-MHz continuous wave (CW) radiofrequency (RF) radiation. Pregnant dams and later their offspring were exposed daily for 4 hr for up to 97 days of age. Specific absorption rates (SAR's) for rats of varying ages were determined by twin-well calorimetry. Between exposures, animals were evaluated using various developmental and biological indices. No difference was observed between 100-MHz-exposed and sham-exposed rats for complete blood counts, mitogen-stimulated response of lymphocytes, frequency of T- and B-lymphocytes, or antibody response to Streptococcus pneumoniae capsular polysaccharide. No mutagenic effect on the sperm cells of rats exposed for over 90 days to 100 MHz was observed using the Dominant Lethal Assay. The mean time to eye opening was significantly accelerated in exposed compared to sham-exposed rats. In rats exposed to 100 MHz, significant decreases in the activity of acetylcholinesterase were observed in the striatum and medulla oblongata of 22-day-old rats and in the midbrain of 40-day-old rats but not in 97-day-old animals.

[1]  L. Iversen,et al.  REGIONAL STUDIES OF CATECHOLAMINES IN THE RAT BRAIN‐I , 1966, Journal of neurochemistry.

[2]  V. Nussenzweig,et al.  A POPULATION OF LYMPHOCYTES BEARING A MEMBRANE RECEPTOR FOR ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY-COMPLEMENT COMPLEXES , 1970, The Journal of experimental medicine.

[3]  K. Augustinsson.  Determination of activity of cholinesterases. , 1971, Methods of biochemical analysis.

[4]  M. Hyneck,et al.  Some primary considerations in the interpretation of the dominant-lethal assay. , 1973, Environmental Health Perspectives.

[5]  Myron L. Crawford,et al.  Generation of Standard EM Fields Using TEM Transmission Cells , 1974 .

[6]  C. Balch,et al.  Thymus-dependent (T) lymphocytes in the rat. , 1974, Journal of immunology.

[7]  EXPERIMENTAL MORPHOLOGIC AND ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF MICROWAVE EFFECTS ON THE NERVOUS SYSTEM , 1975, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[8]  A Versatile Temperature Controlled Exposure Chamber for Microwave Bioeffects Research , 1975, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[9]  P. Czerski,et al.  MICROWAVE EFFECTS ON THE BLOOD‐FORMING SYSTEM WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE LYMPHOCYTE , 1975, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[10]  L. Reiter,et al.  Developmental and behavioral changes in the rat during chronic exposure to lead. , 1975, Environmental health perspectives.

[11]  D. E. Janes,et al.  Radio-frequency radiation levels in urban areas , 1977 .

[12]  Thomas R. Ward,et al.  The effect of microwave radiation (2450 MHz) on the morphology and chromosomes of lymphocytes , 1977 .

[13]  W. Wiktor-Jedrzejczak,et al.  Microwaves induce an increase in the frequency of complement receptor-bearing lymphoid spleen cells in mice. , 1977, Journal of immunology.

[14]  J. B. Kinn.  Whole‐body dosimetry of microwave radiation in small animals: The effect of body mass and exposure geometry , 1977 .

[15]  G. Peterson,et al.  A simplification of the protein assay method of Lowry et al. which is more generally applicable. , 1977, Analytical biochemistry.

[16]  C. Weil,et al.  The Characteristic Impedance of Rectangular Transmission Lines with Thin Center Conductor and Air Dielectric , 1978 .

[17]  R. Olcerst,et al.  Studies on the interaction of microwave radiation with cholinesterase , 1978, Radiation and environmental biophysics.

[18]  R. Liburdy.  Radiofrequency radiation alters the immune system: modulation of T- and B-lymphocyte levels and cell-mediated immunocompetence by hyperthermic radiation. , 1979, Radiation research.

[19]  J. B. Kinn,et al.  Perinatal exposure of rats to 2450‐MHz CW microwave radiation: Effects on lymphocytes , 1979 .