High-peak-power microwave pulses at 2. 37 GHz: No effects on vigilance performance in monkeys. Interim report, February 1988-February 1989

The current safety standards for occupational exposure radio frequency and microwave exposure do not limit the peak power of microwave pulses. To evaluate whether short-duration (93 ns) high-peak-power microwave pulses can alter behavioral performance, four rhesus monkeys were exposed to peak powers of 7.02-11.30 kW/cm2 while they performed a vigilance task. The behavior consisted of two components: responding on a variable interval schedule on one lever and to reaction time on a second lever. Correct responding on each lever was signaled by auditory stimuli. Trained monkeys performed the task during exposure to 2.37-GHz microwave pulses delivered concurrently with the auditory signals. The estimated peak whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR) for each pulse was between 582.7 and 937.9 kW/kg (54-87 mJ/kg per pulse). Compared to sham irradiation, significant changes in behavioral performance were not observed.