Dose-response relationship between body temperature and birth defects in radiofrequency-irradiated rats

✍ Scribed by Dr. Joseph M. Lary; David L. Conover; Peggy H. Johnson; Richard W. Hornung

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 545 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0197-8462
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.2250070205

✦ Synopsis

Five groups of pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were irradiated for 10-40 min on gestation day 9 in a 27.12-MHz radiofrequency field at a magnetic field strength of 55 Aim and an electric field strength of 300 V/m. The specific absorption rate was 10.8 0.3 W/kg. Exposures were terminated after the rat's colonic temperature reached 41.0 "C, 41.5 "C, 42.0 "C, 42.5 "C, or 43.0 "C. A control group was sham irradiated at 0 Aim and 0 Vim on gestation day 9, whereas a second control group was untreated. The incidence of both birth defects and prenatal death was directly related to maternal body temperature once a temperature threshold was exceeded. The temperature threshold for both types of effects was approximately 41.5 "C. A few pregnant rats died after exposure to 43.0 "C, and higher temperatures were nearly always lethal.