Electromagnetic Radiation: Effects on Growth and Aging

Numerous researchers have found adverse effects of various frequencies of microwaves on animal growth. Giarola et al. (1971, 1973) [1][2] found 14-500 μW / cm’ depressed the growth of chickens and baby rats. Gabovich et al. (1979) [3] obtained a similar result with young rats at 100 μW / cm2, as did Ray and Behari (1990) [4] at 600 μW / cm2. Gabovich (1979) [3] reported reduced weight increase in pregnant rats at 100 μW / cm2. Bigu Del Blanco et al. (1973) [5] doubled the mortality of chickens at less than 400 μW / cm2. And Garaj-Vrhovac et al. (1991) [6] found only 60% of the normal number of Chinese hamster cells after exposing the culture to 500 μW / cm2 for 60 minutes.

The evidence on plants is startling:

Trees growing in pine forests exposed to the Skrunda radar have had decreased thickness of growth rings beginning after 1970, which coincided with the start of operation of the radar. Nearby unexposed trees have not been similarly affected (Balodis et al., 1996). [7]

Study of pine needles and cones at Skrunda has revealed accelerated resin production and premature aging of pine trees in the exposed area, even where the intensity is only 24 pW / cm2 (0.000024 μW / cm2), as compared with trees in nearby unexposed areas. Also, the germination of low exposure seeds is enhanced, while the germination of higher exposure seeds is severely impaired. The authors have noted a similarity to the effects of ultraviolet radiation (Selga and Selga, 1996). [8]

Duckweed plants grown near the Skrunda radar have a shorter life span and impaired reproduction compared to plants grown distant from the radar. Morphological and developmental abnormalities are also found in the exposed plants (Magone, 1996). [9]

Marha (1969) writes, “It is known from reports in the literature that the velocity of cell division with Vicius fabus [a bean] is accelerated at field intensities of 10-4 V/ m at frequencies of approximately 30 MHz and the velocity decreases at values above 0.1 V / m” (p. 189). 10-4 V /m corresponds to a power density of 0.0026 pW / cm2 (0.0000000026 μW / cm2). This is less than what we receive on earth from satellites. These experimental results, and those from Skrunda, and those of Kondra with chickens, above, prove that satellite signals are biologically active. [10]

Bibliography

[1] Giarola, A.J., Krueger, W.F. and Woodall, H.W. (1971). The effect of a continuous UHF signal on animal growth. 1971 IEEE Inter-national Electromagnetic Compatibility Symposium Record, Phila., July 13-15, 1971, pp. 150-153.

[2] Giarola, A.J., Krueger, W.F., and Neff, R.D. (1973). The growth of animals under the influence of electric and magnetic fields. Health Physics in the Healing Arts, Seventh Midyear Topical Symposium, Health Physics Society, San Juan, P.R., Dec. 11-14, 1972, published March 1973, pp. 502-509.

[3] Gabovich, P.D., Shutenko, O.I., Kozyarin, I.P. and Shvayko, I.I. (1979). Gigiyena i Sanitariya 10:12-14, 1979. JPRS 75515, pp. 30-35.

[4] Ray, S. and Behari, J. (1990). Physiologic changes in rats after exposure to low levels of microwaves. Radiation Research 123:199-202.

[5] Bigu Del Blanco, J., Romero-Sierra, C. and Tanner, J.A. (1973). Radiofrequency fields: a new biological factor. 1973 IEEE International Electromagnetic Compatibility Symposium Record, New York, June 20-22, 1973, pp. 54-59.

[6] Garaj-Vrhovac, V., Horvat, D., and Koren, Z. (1991). The relationship between colony-forming ability, chromosome aberrations and incidence of micronuclei in V79 Chinese hamster cells exposed to microwave radiation. Mutation Research 263:143-149.

[7] Balodis, V., Brumelis, G., Kalviskis, K., Nikodemus, O., Tjarve, D., and Znotina, V. (1996). Does the Skrunda Radio Location Station diminish the radial growth of pine trees? The Science of the Total Environment 180:57-64.

[8] Selga, T. and Selga, M. (1996). Response of Pinus sylvestris L. needles to electromagnetic fields. Cytological and ultrastructural aspects. The Science of the Total Environment 180:65-73.

[9] Magone, I. (1996). The effect of electromagnetic radiation from the Skrunda Radio Location Station on Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden cultures. The Science of the Total Environment 180: 75-80.

[10] Marha, K. (1969). Maximum admissible values of HF and UHF electromagnetic radiation at work places in Czechoslovakia. In Symposium Proceedings. Biological Effects and Health Implications of Microwave Radiation, Richmond, Va., Sept. 1969, S. Cleary, ed., pp. 188-191.