You are here:
BEHAVIRORAL EFFECTS OF MICROWAVES: RELATIONSHIP OF TOTAL DOSE AND DOSE RATE
Citation:
O'Connor, M. AND R. Strattan. BEHAVIRORAL EFFECTS OF MICROWAVES: RELATIONSHIP OF TOTAL DOSE AND DOSE RATE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/1-88/005.
Description:
The goal of the research was to compare the relationship of whole body averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) and specific absorption (SA) to determine whether dose rate or dose was the better predictor of biological effects. Sperm positive Long-Evans female rats were exposed to 2450 MHz CW microwave radiation for 1-3 hours at approximately 10 W/kg. The maternal subjects were then observed for natural delivery of their litters. Sensitivity to thermally induced seizures and huddling were studied in the offspring. Analyses revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between exposed and control offspring on the behavioral indices. The behavior did not appear to be affected by prenatal exposure to microwave radiation at this level. The huddle sizes became smaller as the pups aged both in exposed and control offspring.