Interaction of ambient temperature and microwave power density on schedule-controlled behavior in the rat

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5274810

Gage, M I; Guyer, W M

Most guidelines of microwave exposure do not explicitly address effects of ambient temperature. This experiment revealed that ambient temperature potentiates the behavioral effects of intensity of irradiation. Sixty-four adult male Long-Evans rats were trained to insert their heads into a food cup to obtain food pellets on a 1-min variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. Two groups of four rats each were then exposed to 2450-MHz CW microwaves for 15.5 hours under one of the following eight combinations of power density and air temperature: 8 or 14 m/cm. sq. at 22 C; 0, 8, or 14 mW/cm. sq. at 26 C; and 0, 8, or 14 mW/cm. sq. at 30 C (relative humidity was 50% in all cases). Response rate of each rat following exposure was compared with its control rate at 0 mW/cm. sq. and 22 C. After exposure at 8 mW/cm. sq., response rates were reduced by a mean of 13.8% at 22 C, 27.5% at 26 C, and 77.5% at 30 C. After exposure at 14 mW/cm. sq., rates were reduced by a mean of 21.1% at 22 C, 43.7% at 26 C, and 80.0% at 30 C. In the absence of microwaves the higher temperatures caused only slight decreases in response rate.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5274810
• Report Number(s): PB-86-213626/XAB; EPA/600/J-82/463
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560152 -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Animals
560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ANIMALS
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
LABORATORY ANIMALS
MAMMALS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RATS
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES