Fetal and maternal effects of continual exposure of rats to 970-MHz circularly polarized microwaves

Technical Report · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:6952131

Berman, E; Weil, C; Phillips, P A; Carter, H B; House, D E

Virtually continual exposure to970-MHz microwaves in circularly-polarized waveguides was used to elicit fetal responses in Sprague-Dawley rats during gestation. Two hundred fifty rats were exposed to microwave radiation at whole-body averaged specific absorption rates (SAR) of 0.07, 2.4, or 4.8 W/kg, or concurrently sham-irradiated for 22 h/day from the 1st through the 19th day of gestation. At SAR of 4.8 W/kg, only fetal body weight was significantly altered (-12%, P=.012). Two of twelve rats died during the exposure at SAR of 4.8 W/kg. Bred, but non-pregnant, rats that were exposed at SAR of 4.8 W/kg had significantly lower body weight gain than sham-irradiated rats; similar lower gain is assumed to have occurred in the pregnant rats exposed at SAR of 4.8 W/kg, and whose fetuses were significantly smaller. The authors conclude that continual gestational exposure at SAR of 4.8 (but not 2.4 or lower) W/kg induces fetal alterations. Apparently, deleterious maternal effects are associated with these fetal changes. Although colonic temperature was not measured in these rats, it is expected that exposure at 4.8 W/kg was hyperthermal.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States). Health Effects Research Lab.
• OSTI ID: 6952131
• Report Number(s): PB-92-227602/XAB; EPA--600/J-92/319
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560400* -- Other Environmental Pollutant Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FETUSES
MAMMALS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PREGNANCY
RADIATIONS
RATS
REPRODUCTION
RODENTS
TERATOGENESIS
VERTEBRATES