L948-L958:

Microwave SicknessCopyright (c) 1996 by Lucinda Grant

All Rights Reserved

Part I

Soviet Studies

In 1960urrA *i.ut researcilalied The Biolosical Action of Ultrahieh Frequcncies

identifrine effects @quencies above 300 Mllz).whil? the

acceDted u, "orrr,'"iffi

bnJoth E*tä* *d W"tt * t.idi$uiotäsicat

"11"st" of various EMF frequencies at lower intensities_have not

found the accentaiie äd aGntion here that Soviet and East EuroDean

äit "owledeement

of electrical sensitivi in this count

new radiation standards qf the FCOI" th. *"f"*

"f the Soviet overview" one of the editors noted "... ial attention

has been ugncies.tt

was l0 mWcm2.

On August 6,1gg6,the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted U'S'

radiatiJn standards for transmitters operating in the 300 kHz to 100 GHz frequency

r*g. as required by the Telecommunications Act of 1996'l This transmission

r*ä" includes both radio and microwave frequencies for wireless phone and

satellite communications systems.

below 10mWlcmZ.

10

For the general public, the exposure limit for the 1500 MHz - 100,000 MHz

(micro-wäve) range is lmWcm2; for the 300 MHz - 1500 MHz range, the

å*por*. limit is calculated as a function of the frequency, not to- exceed

lmWcm2. These exposure limits become important as we explore health effects

research of Soviet and East European scientists.

The human studies of workers exposed to UHF are most revealing- In one study

(Sadchikova), 525 workers (men and women) exposed to UHF on the job were

divided into three categories depending upon their level of exposure. The majority

of them had been eÄployed in that capacrty at least four years. A medical

evaluation of each worker found a higher incidence of similar symptoms among

each group correlating with that group's exposure level. Among workers overall,

the most common symptoms they mentioned were headache, fatigue' extreme

irritability, and sleepiness at work.The final article within the bqok. ca[ed Sanitary Reeulations in Work

ffiimeter waves" (centimeter wayes ranse between 3-30

ffie regulations as approved by the chief state sanita{v Inspector

of the USSR, V. Zhdanov" on November 26. 1958:

"Hygienic Standards"

The intensitv of irradiation at places where workers with generators .of c9ntimeter

ffid not exceed the followine maximun permissible valuef:

"l io tn" case of

watts/cm2 (10 microwatts/cm2):b) i" tl* ."tt "f irmore than 0.1m watts/cm2 (100 microwatts/cm2):

") i" th. ""t. of ir

-""" th"n f m

"blisat""v "te "f p

on limit for public exposure 24-hours dailv for their

lifetirqe.)

Over the years, ttre Soviets meaicatty evalu

ilikersEgulations were in place b]' 1958 requiring radiation workgrs be eiven at

l""rt """ *"""1 medical exam to a

iilness that was aggravated b)r radiation exoosure at work were allowed a leave ofabsence or a work transfer,

The occuoational microexposedl Soviet workers. The Soviet public's radiation exnosure limit wqs .001

mwcm2. Lr contrast the new U.S. public's radiation exposure limit qq4er: the

ffins Commission (FCC) standards of August 1996 is 1

mWcm2. The Soviets were more conservat e

if,ii considered variables such as pre-existine health nroblems whicl ,rcrould

ffi of develoning non-fhersal ra4iatio!-lndlled iilngss

ffi mqrgin within their standards to reduce this risk

11

?art2

The l95g Soviet occupational radiation standard of .01 mWcm2(.millMuare centimeter e 300 MHz - 30GHz was based on a safe

f""t* "f t.": theirr"*"t""tr *"* knffi to occur at that time (1 mWcm2 exposure for one horn

mf.W f""t- of tOl. Ctinic* neal n

at the Moscow fo.tThe results of this clinical experience in assisted in development of the- 1958

Soviet occupational radiation standards-

Pre-employment medical evaluations of prospective radiation workers were

requireä Uy tu* under a 1957 Order of the Minister of Health - USSR "...in order to

prevent occupational diseases. "

According to this Order and added susgestions from the Moscow Institute.

ffid diseases. epilepsv. cataract!! central nervqus, svstem

diseas€sr endocrine diseases' ucoma, cardiovascular iniuries. etc.

*ere "onsid""ed

uffi uftrahigh frequencv (300 MIIZ - 3000

MHz) s.ou"utoi at the Moscow lnstitute of Labor

Hygiene *d O""opational Diseases reported that the group of microwave-exposed

*äit"rr who began employment after 1960 were not clinically healthy after.the pre-

employment *"äi"ul "r,,ut*tion

law and the 1958 radiation standards were in force.

froposed reasons why the workers were unhealthy focused on the possibility that

ttre-tgS8 radiation standards, which were still in force, were inadequate or that the

health problems were due to intermittent radiation exposure typical of the work.

Soviet rtodi"r had previously determined that intermittent radiation exposure

was more biologically damaging than continuous radiation exposure' when

energF and exposure time were the same-

The difference between the 1958 Soviet radiatiof tnat time was e

.tr"d*dr *.* lelilbajed on protection fro* tlte tltenttal (heating) "ffecA-recent letter from the U'S' Environmental

not*tio" Agency (gPA) strt"s that the current U.S. FCC radiation standards are

also solely bäseö on considerations regarding a thermal effect. The current FCC

ublic eioosure levelrutorio for workers in thel950S. Bell's calculations considered environmentalLaboratories for workers in the 1950s

r*i"Uf*r ttr"t *"tO in"te* the heating effect (air movement, temperattre, and

humidity) as well as physical work. Their guidelines were to avoid radiation

.*por*ä exceeding lb mWcm2, only occasionally become exposed to levels

between 1-10 mWcm2, and allow unlimited exposure only at radiation levels

below I mWcm2.

T2

conversely, the soviets were particularly concerned about the cunulative

effects of non-thermal radiation doses over time, including reproductive and

genetic effects. Bv 1973. a Soviet researcher reported tlnt in animal studies. non-

fuermal microwave intensities were found to "..

6ecreased number of progeny" and darnage to the feti"-