Intermittent exposure of rats to 2450-MHz microwaves at 2. 5 MW cm sq: behavioral and physiological effects

Technical Report · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5193014

D'Andrea, J A; DeWitt, J R; Emmerson, R Y; Bailey, C; Stensaas, S

Long-Evans male adult rats were intermittently exposed for 14 weeks to continuous wave (c-w) 2450-MHz microwaves at an average power density of 2.5 mW/sq. cm. The mean specific absorption rate was 0.70 W/kg (plus or minus 0.02 SEM). The rats were exposed 7 h/day, 7 days/week in a radiation chamber with a monopole above ground, while housed in Plexiglas cages. Weekly measures of body mass and food intake did not indicate statistically significant effects of microwave irradiation. Assessments of threshold for electric-footshock detection revealed a significant difference between microwave and sham-exposed animals. Assessments of cholinesterase and sulfhydryl groups in blood and 17-ketosteriods, in urine did not distinguish the two groups of rats. Behavioral measures made at the end of the 14-week exposure included an open-field test, shuttlebox avoidance performance, and schedule-controlled lever-pressing for food pellets: Statistically significant differences between microwave- and sham-exposed rats were observed for these measures. Examination of adrenal tissue, plasma electrolytes, and organ masses after 14 weeks of exposure revealed no difference between the two group of rats.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5193014
• Report Number(s): PB-88-177068/XAB; EPA-600/J-86/454
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550100 -- Behavioral Biology
560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FREQUENCY RANGE
GHZ RANGE
GHZ RANGE 01-100
LABORATORY ANIMALS
MAMMALS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PHYSIOLOGY
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RATS
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES