Antibody responses of mice exposed to low-power microwaves under combined, pulse-and-amplitude modulation.
Irradiation by pulsed microwaves (9.4 GHz, 1 microsecond pulses at 1,000/s), both with and without concurrent amplitude modulation (AM) by a sinusoid at discrete frequencies between 14 and 41 MHz, was assessed for effects on the immune system of Balb/C mice. The mice were immunized either by sheep red blood cells (SRBC) or by glutaric-anhydride conjugated bovine serum albumin (GA-BSA), then exposed to the microwaves at a low rms power density (30 microW/cm2; whole-body-averaged SAR approximately 0.015 W/kg). Sham exposure or microwave irradiation took place during each of five contiguous days, 10 h/day. The antibody response was evaluated by the plaque-forming cell assay (SRBC experiment) or by the titration of IgM and IgG antibodies (GA-BSA experiment). In the absence of AM, the pulsed field did not greatly alter immune responsiveness. In contrast, exposure to the field under the combined-modulation condition resulted in significant, AM-frequency-dependent augmentation or weakening of immune responses.
Veyret
B
B
Laboratoire de Bioélectromagnétisme de l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes: ENSCPB.
Bouthet
C
C
Deschaux
P
P
de Seze
R
R
Geffard
M
M
Joussot-Dubien
J
J
le Diraison
M
M
Moreau
J M
JM
Caristan
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008872:Microwaves