Impact of low intensity millimetre waves on cell functions

Abstract

Investigations on the biological impact of low levels of millimetrewave energy date back to the first experiments on the generation and detection of these high-frequency signals by Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose at the end of the 19th century. Slightly more than a hundred years later, millimetre-wave transmission has become a ubiquitous commercial reality. Despite the widespread use of millimetre-wave transmitters for communications, radar and even non-lethal weapons systems, only a handful of researchers have funded programmes focusing on millimetre-wave interactions with biological systems. As such, there is a growing need for a better understanding of the mechanisms of these interactions and their possible adverse and therapeutic implications. Independent of the health impact of long-term exposure to high doses of millimetre-wave energy on whole organisms, there exists the potential for subtle effects on specific tissues or organs which can best be quantified in studies which examine real-time changes in cellular function as energy is applied. In this Letter, a series of experiments are presented which show changes in cell membrane potential and the action potential firing rate of cortical neurons under short (1 min) exposures to continuous-wave 60 GHz radiation at mW/cm 2 power levels, more than 1000 times below the US government maximum permissible exposure. The findings have implications for non-contact stimulation and control of neurologic function, and might prove useful in a variety of health applications from suppression of peripheral neuropathic pain to the treatment of central neurological disorders.

Investigation of the non-thermal effects of exposing cells to 70–300 GHz irradiation using a widely tunable source

“…The proliferation rate of cancer cells differs from that of normal cells. Additionally, neuronal activity was changed by MMW exposure, as reported earlier [ 8 , 9 ]. Thus, we selected glioblastoma cells.…”

“…Williams et al (2013) exposed human epithelial cells and human embryonic stem cells to high-intensity THz waves for 3–6 h and reported that there were no effects on cell growth [ 21 ]. The positive effect of neuronal activity has been reported during short-term exposure of 60 GHz with low intensity [ 8 ]. We exposed cultured cells to long-term, low-power and continuous waves.…”

Phonon Guided Biology. Architecture of Life and Conscious Perception Are Mediated by Toroidal Coupling of Phonon, Photon and Electron Information Fluxes at Discrete Eigenfrequencies.

“…Neurons are able to directly sense THz resonances: responses of cortical slices of the adrenal gland are at terahertz frequencies and at power densities of 0.3-0.6 microWatt/cm 2 (Pikov and Siegel, 2010). Microtubules present in our brains have specific resonance frequencies in the range from kHz to THz (Sahu and Bandyopadhyay, 2014).…”

Impact of 60‐GHz millimeter waves and corresponding heat effect on endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor gene expression

“…Reversible externalization of phosphatidylserine was also observed for different exposed cell lines (42.25 GHz, 34.5 mW/cm 2 ) without detectable membrane damage [Szabo et al, ]. Moreover, in vitro experiments using an epithelial cell line expressing a farnesylated green fluorescent protein showed that a 2 min MMW exposure (50 GHz, 1–3 mW/cm 2 ) induced a membrane depolarization [Seigel and Pikov, ]. Besides, results of experiments on kidney cells, using the patch voltage‐clamp method, suggest that MMW (42.25 GHz, 100 µW/cm 2 ) can alter the activation of Ca 2+ ‐activated K + channels by decreasing its affinity for internal Ca 2+ [Geletyuk et al, ].…”