Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ulysses.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!smb From: smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) Newsgroups: net.misc,net.dcom Subject: Re: Low level microwaves and cancer Message-ID: <974@ulysses.UUCP> Date: Wed, 22-Aug-84 09:32:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ulysses.974 Posted: Wed Aug 22 09:32:00 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 23-Aug-84 00:41:00 EDT References: <2981@watcgl.uucp>, <390@vortex.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill Lines: 22 I checked the "Science News" article on the microwave study. The original study was in the Aug. 17 issue of "Microwave News", for anyone who wants to go to the original source. The most important datum presented is that the rats were exposed to pulsed 2450 Mhz radiation for 21 hours a day. The Air Force, which funded the study, was primarily interested in the effects of radar frequencies; the Science News article states, without elaboration, that "using rats, the wave- length must be shorter". The power density was chosen to "approximate a rate of energy that is equal to or lower than the current voluntary U.S. safety standard for humans of 0.4 watts per kilogram of body tissue. The study found immune system abnormalities, plus strong efects on the endocrine system. The cancer rate is described statistically significant, with only 1% probability that this was a chance result. However, the tumor rate among the exposed rats -- 16 cases, vs. 4 for the control rats -- was lower than normal for that strain of rats. The team that did the study cautions that the results must be replicated before being considered reliable, especially in the area of tumor formation. That latter should involve about 10,000 rats, not just 100, they say. No mention at all was made of lower frequencies.