coming from one in academic medicine who studies the effects of environmenal exposures on human health, i can appreciate the perspective from an electrical engineer and enjoyed reading your insights.
but you lost me with the statement that there are no studies demonstrating risks of non-thermal radiation. that's just flat out wrong. i suggest you consult any of the studies below. the existence of any one of these published studies nullifies your position, but suffice to say there are far more than one.
i have become somewhat of a health libertarian after decades in public health, and if you want to put your head next to a cell phone or have your child sleep next to a wireless router, that is your business.
but bombastic claims that there isn't a single study showing that exposure to emf's at the levels from cell phones, wi-fi, etc. can cause health issues is just flat out wrong. the bradford-hill criteria for causality are supported with a consistent mechansim of voltage-gated calcium channels and downstream oxidative stress.
how much emf's contribute to the epidemic of chronic disease, when compared to ultra-processed food intake, poor air quality, sedentary lifestyles, etc. is debatable. but they are a risk to health on a chronic basis and some are affected on an acute basis.
i would read just one of the studies below. if you have an open mind, you may find the belyaev studies particularly interesting as they dispel the notion that the only effects that matter are thermal.
Magras IN, Xenos TD. 1997 RF radiation-induced changes in the prenatal development of mice.
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Pall ML. 2016 Microwave frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produce widespread neuropsychiatric effects including depression. J Chem Neuroanat 75(Pt B):43-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2015.08.001.
Pall, ML. 2013. Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects. J Cell Mol Med 17:958-965. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12088.
Pall, M. L. 2015 Scientific evidence contradicts findings and assumptions of Canadian Safety Panel 6: microwaves act through voltage-gated calcium channel activation to induce biological impacts at non-thermal levels, supporting a paradigm shift for microwave/lower frequency electromagnetic field action. Rev. Environ. Health 3, 99-116. doi: 10.1515/reveh2015-0001.
Pall ML. 2016 Electromagnetic fields act similarly in plants as in animals: Probable activation of calcium channels via their voltage sensor. Curr Chem Biol 10: 74-82.
Pall, M. L., 2018. How cancer can be caused by microwave frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures: EMF activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) can cause cancer including tumor promotion, tissue invasion and metastasis via 15 mechanisms. Chapter 7 in Markov, M. S., (Ed.), Mobile Communications and Public Health, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, in press.
Belyaev, I., 2005. Non-thermal biological effects of microwaves. Microwave Rev. 11, 13- 29.
Belyaev, I., 2015. Biophysical mechanisms for nonthermal microwave effects. In: Markov M.S. (Ed), Electromagnetic Fields in Biology and Medicine, CRC Press, New York, pp 49-67.
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Pall ML. 2018 Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health. Environ Res 164:405-416. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.035.
Pilla, A. A., 2012. Electromagnetic fields instantaneously modulate nitric oxide signaling in challenged biological systems. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 28, 426:330-333. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.08.078.
Lu, X. W., Du, L., Kou, L., Song, N., Zhang, Y. J., Wu, M. K., Shen, J. F., 2015. Effects of 83 moderate static magnetic fields on the voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels currents in trigeminal ganglion neurons. Electromagn. Biol. Med. 34, 285-292. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2014.906448.
Tabor, K. M., Bergeron, S. A., Horstick, E. J., Jordan, D. C., Aho, V., Porkka-Heiskanen, T., Haspel, G, Burgess, H. A., 2014. Direct activation of the Mauthner cell by electric field pulses drives ultrarapid escape responses. J Neurophysiol 112:834-844. doi: 10.1152/jn.00228.2014.
Zhang, J., Li, M., Kang, E. T., Neoh, K. G., 2016. Electrical stimulation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in conductive scaffolds and the roles of voltage-gated ion channels. Acta Biomater. 32, 46-56. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2015.12.024.
Tekieh T, Sasanpour P, Rafii-Tabar H. 2016 Effects of electromagnetic field exposure on conduction and concentration of voltage gated calcium channels: A Brownian dynamics study. Brain Res 1646:560-569.
ICNIRP 2009 International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection. ICNIRP statement on the “Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz). Health Phys 97:257-258.
Bioinitiative Working Group. 2007 BioInitiative Report: A rationale for biologicallybased public exposure standard for electromagnetic fields (ELF and RF). Sage C and Carpenter DO (Eds.), Available online:
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Sypniewska, R. K., Millenbaugh, N. J., Kiel, J. L., Blystone, R. V., Ringham, H. N., Mason, P. A., Witzmann, F. A., 2010. Protein changes in macrophages induced by plasma from rats exposed to 35 GHz millimeter waves. Bioelectromagnetics 3, 656-663. doi: 0.1002/bem.20598.
Kalns, J., Ryan, K. L., Mason, P. A., Bruno, J. G., Gooden, R., Kiel, J. L., 2000. Oxidative stress precedes circulatory failure induced by 35-GHz microwave heating. Shock 13, 52-59.
Garbuz, D. G., 2017. Regulation of heat shock gene expression in response to stress. Mol. Biol. 51, 352-367. doi: 10.1134/S0026893317020108.
Park, H. K., Lee, J. E., Lim, J. F., Kang, B. H., 2014. Mitochondrial Hsp90s suppress calcium-mediated stress signals propagating from the mitochondria to the ER in cancer cells. Mol. Cancer 13 Article Number: 148 doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-13-148.
Krebs, J., Groenendyk, J., Michalek, M., 2011. Ca2+-signaling, alternative splicing and endoplasmic reticulum stress responses. Neurochem. Res. 36, 1198-1211. doi: 10.1007/s11064- 011-0431-4.
Pilla, A. A., 2013. Nonthermal electromagnetic fields: from first messenger to therapeutic applications. Electromagn Biol Med 32, 123-136. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2013.776335.
Pall, M. L., 2014. Electromagnetic field activation of voltage-gated calcium channels: role in therapeutic effects. Electromagn. Biol. Med. 2014 Apr 8 doi: 10.3109/15368378.2014.906447.
Goldsmith JR. 1997 Epidemiologic evidence relevant to radar (microwave) effects. Env Health Perspect 105(Suppl 6):1579-1587.
Belyaev I, Dean A, Eger H, Hubmann G, Jandrisovits R, Kern M, Kundi M, Moshammer H, Lercher P, Müller K, Oberfeld G, Ohnsorge P, Pelzmann P, Scheingraber C, Thill R. 2016 EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems and illnesses. Rev Environ Health DOI 10.1515/reveh-2016-0011.j
Hedendahl L, Carlberg M, Hardell L. 2015 Electromagnetic hypersensitivity--an increasing challenge to the medical profession. Rev Environ Health 30:209-215. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2015- 0012.
Carpenter DO. 2015 The microwave syndrome or electro-hypersensitivity: historical background. Rev Environ Health 30:217-222. doi: 10.1515/reveh-2015-0016
Havas M. 2013 Radiation from wireless technology affects the blood, the heart and the autonomic nervous system. Rev Environ Health 82:75-84.https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2013- 0004
Havas M, Marrongelle J, Pollmer, Kelley E, Rees C, Tully S. 2010 Provocation study using heart rate variability shows microwave radiation from 2.4 GHz cordless phone affects autonomic nervous system. Eur J Oncol 5:273-300.