1930 microwave bioeffects tests revealed many symptoms

The Microwave Debate by Nicholas H. Steneck (1984) is well worth a look if you want to understand the idiocy of today's microwave regulators.

Page 26 states that by 1930, General Electric plant in Schenectady did a human test of microwave thermal exposures in a box-like apparatus with aluminum plated sides. They were excited about potential uses  of microwave heating for creating "artificial" fevers in medical treatments.

Here is a summary of symptoms experienced:
"A few patients studied at GE complained of headaches, felt nauceous and/or experienced drops in blood pressure." However, since these symptoms were similar to the diseases that had fevers they were assumed to be acceptable.

Curious about microwave potential hazards in an uncontrolled  (mainly occupational) setting, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery investigated effects from the new "super-high" frequency, 800MHz radio transmitters being put into operation.

The effects of these transmitters "were quitte startling in some cases."
Imagine this:
A normal incandescent light bulb held in the test subject's hand GLOWED when held about 20-feet from the RF source. THE BODY of the subject ABSORBED ENOUGH electricity (RF) "to cause the bulb's filament to illuminate."

Symptoms during this test included "unpleasant warmth, sweating of feet and legs, general body warmtn and sweating, drowsiness, headaches, pains about the ankles, wrists and elbows, weakness and vertigo."

Another nice Navy test aimed at learning "how severe these symptoms could become and whether they produced any permanent adverse effects." Six volunteers were asked to stand near a super-high frequency transmitter and to endure effects until they became unbearable. To increase effects, each volunteer held a metal rod in one hand that they grounded on a metal fence - to insure MAXIMUM APSORPTION. (Do Not Do This At Home)

When the power was switched on, symptoms were recorded in the order of appearance.
1) Growing sensation of warmth in hand holding metal rod
2) Within 3-5 minutes the heat was so intense the subjects began to shift metal rods from hand to hand.
3) Pain started to develop in their joints and tendons of hand holding the rod
4) Similar pain soon developed in the ankles.
5) General sweating followed and feeling of increasing body temp. (shown as being elevated a few degrees, along with drops in blood pressure)
6) Finally, feelings of heat were followed by "weakness, drowsiness or headache"

All symptoms disappeared when transmitter turned off. Volunteers "seemed to return to normal in all respects except one - the rate at which subsequent exposure produced effects." In other words volunteers subjected to a second and third series of tests experienced all of the symptoms FASTER and TOOK LONGER TO RECOVER from the exposure sessions.

All subjects did return to normal, "at least to the extent demonstrated by the test effects." Those little bothersome symptoms and increasing sensitivity to symptoms could easily be ignored in order to develop exciting new microwave/RF devices then - and now.

Here are a few points on the situation.
*At the time long-term low level tests were not done, assumed to be safe if below heating levels
*Just because a subject did not feel ill effects until a certain thermal level did not mean internal damage was not occuring.
*No other biological measurments were taken during or after the 1930s tests to reveal lingering damage.
*The increasing sensitivity to developing ill effects and recovering from them is classic Radiofrequency Sickness - an early stage, but nonetheless - proof.
*The 1930s test subjects were lucky in that the transmitters could be turned off - and the test was over. BUT TODAY we cannot turn off all the transmitters allowed to pierce our environment without our consent. So the experiment never ends - and our FCC is still living in the 1930s using the same assumptions that only thermal RF can cause damage, and damage is reversible.

Read The Microwave Debate by Nicholas Stenick to better understand where where microwave standards come from and why they are stuck at non-protective levels. And hey, we could try that light bulb trick next to a cell tower antenna just for the heck of it. Free electricity. Now, who could ask for anything more?

(You'll have to get it from the library unless you want to spend a bundle for the rare book at Amazon.)