Mechanisms of biological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields: an overview

Manmade sources of electromagnetic (EM) fields, and therefore human exposures to them, continue to increase. Public concerns stem from the effects reported in the literature, the visibility of the sources, and somewhat from confusion between EM fields and ionizing radiation. Protecting humans from the real hazards and allaying groundless fears requires a self-consistent body of scientific data concerning effects of the fields, levels of exposures which cause those effects, and which effects are deleterious (or beneficial or neutral). With that knowledge, appropriate guidelines for safety can be devised, while preserving the beneficial uses of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) energy for military or civilian purposes. The task is monumental because of the large and growing number of biological endpoints and the infinite array of RFR exposure conditions under which those endpoints might be examined. The only way to reach this goal is to understand the mechanisms by which EM fields interact with tissues. As in other fields of science, a mechanistic understanding of RFR effects will enable scientists to generalize from a selected few experiments to derive the "laws" of RFR bioeffects. This article gives an overview of present knowledge of those mechanisms and the part that the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine has played in expanding that knowledge.