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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.