Behavioral Sensitivity to Microwave Irradiation

Abstract

Rats assayed by the technique of conditional suppression were able to detect the presence of 12.25-centimeter microwaves at doses of power approximating 0.5 to 6.4 milliwatts per gram. The assay, which controlled for sensitization, for pseudo and temporal conditioning, and for several possible sources of artifactual cueing, revealed that irradiation by microwaves, although lacking the saliency of an auditory stimulus, can function as a highly reliable cue. Efficiency of detection was strongly and positively related to the amount of microwave energy to which the rats were exposed.