IEEE Study: Pulsed High-Power Radio Frequency Energy Can Cause Non-Thermal Harmful Effects on the BRAIN,”

A January 2024 article by Omid Yaghmazadeh of the Neuroscience Institute in the School of Medicine at New York University published in the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine entitled “Pulsed High-Power Radio Frequency Energy Can Cause Non-Thermal Harmful Effects on the BRAIN” is calling for a revision of regulations due to research that has found harmful effects to the brain from wireless radio-frequency (RF) radiation at legally allowed levels. 

The paper looks at the different mechanisms of interaction of pulsed versus continuous-wave radiofrequency (RF) wireless radiation and the brain and documents how “high-power sub-millisecond radio frequency energy pulses have been demonstrated to be able to induce neurological and neuropathological changes in the brain while being compliant with current regulatory guidelines’ limits” and how the brain “has long been considered the most vulnerable organ to exposure to RF…” 

“To date, the regulatory guidelines (such as those developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) [24] and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) [25]) are focused on protection against RF radiation dangers caused by thermal deposition in the biological tissue. As stated in both Dagro et al. and Hao et al. ‘s reports, high-power short RF pulses can lead to brain structural or functional damage without temperature increases beyond the biological range and in compliance with current safety regulations. This illustrates the necessity of the reevaluation of such regulatory guidelines to impose safe practices for application of high-power pulsed RF energy.” 

Regarding Havana Syndrome, where in American and Canadian diplomats have reported a myriad of health symptoms, primarily neurological, Yaghmazadeh refers to Hao et al.’s  2024  paper which “introduced a paradigm in which repetitive sub-millisecond RF pulses are capable of inducing undesirable neurological effects at much lower power densities (200 mW/cm2) that are possible to achieve from distant extremely high-power sources (which are currently used in military, or non-military HPM applications). Such pulse trains are thus the most likely mechanism underlying the Havana Syndrome.” 

The abstract states:

“High-power microwave applications are growing for both military and civil purposes, yet they can induce brain-related risks and raise important public health concerns. High-power sub-millisecond radio frequency energy pulses have been demonstrated to be able to induce neurological and neuropathological changes in the brain while being compliant with current regulatory guidelines’ limits, highlighting the necessity of revising them.” 

“This study adds to the ever mounting body of scientific evidence indicating that current FCC, ICNIRP and IEEE limits for human exposure are not protective. Three years ago, in 2021, the U.S. FCC was ordered by the U.S. Appeals Court in Environmental Health Trust et al., v the FCC to show how its limits were protective for numerous issues including neurological impacts.  However, the FCC has not responded to the Court, clearly demonstrating a lack of accountability,” stated Theodora Scarato of Environmental Health Trust who pointed to research indicating that wildlife, especially pollinators, were uniquely vulnerable. “Regulations must be revised to reflect the latest science. Technology must be safe for people and the environment” 

Scientific Reference

Omid Yaghmazadeh, “Pulsed High-Power Radio Frequency Energy Can Cause Non-Thermal Harmful Effects on the BRAIN,” in IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology, vol. 5, pp. 50-53, 2024, doi: 10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3355301.