Round and Round You Go
Adverse health effects of occupational exposure to radiofrequency radiation in airport surveillance radar operators.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Radar workers are exposed to pulsed high frequency electromagnetic fields. In this study, health effects of these radiations in personnel who routinely work with radar systems are investigated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The 28-item General Health Questionnaire was used as a self-administered tool for assessment of general mental health and mental distress. One hundred workers occupationally exposed to radar radiations (14-18 GHz) participated in the study. Visual reaction time was recorded with a simple blind computer-assisted-visual reaction time test. To assess the short-term memory, Wechsler Memory Scale-III test was performed.
RESULTS:
Twenty to 39% of the radar workers reported different problems such as needing a good tonic[???], feeling run down and out of sorts, headache, tightness or pressure in the head, insomnia, getting edgy and bad-tempered. Furthermore, 47% of the radar workers reported feeling under strain. In response to this question that if they have been able to enjoy their normal day-to-day activities, 31% responded less than usual. It was also shown that work experience had significant relationships with reaction time and short-term memory indices i.e., forward digit span, reverse digit span, word recognition and paired words.
CONCLUSION:
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that occupational exposure to radar microwave radiation leads to changes in somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression. Altogether these results indicate that occupational exposure to radar microwave radiations may be linked to some adverse health effects.
Dark Matters a Lot 
This article was retracted by the journal which published it; it’s bad science. Why? No control group, too small sample population, no comparison with other gov’t secure facility jobs ( ah, high stress?), inadequate psychological measuring tool. Please, give us decent science.
This blog has referenced a collection of both peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed research papers, news articles, youtube videos, and some pretty damn good music.
I am a chemical engineer trying to piece together a puzzle using evidence from many different sources. In the end, I hope one can throw out quite a few pieces of evidence and still have a sound case.
I have placed my Florida data online and any good scientist can look to see if there is a relationship in what I am saying.
If they do a controlled experiment with these radars would you want to be in the group that works in front of them given all of the research on 2.7-3.0 GHz radiation?
Thanks for reading and for the criticism
Stewart
I DO live in front of one+ of them, damn it. My “neighborhood” qualifies as the experimental group both by exposure and population numbers. The primary bugger up the hill is an ARSR-4, 65000w ( possible increased two weeks ago) pulsed, 1.2 – 1.4 gHz, 250 nautical mile range; there are at least 6 more “things” up there, one of which transmits continuously at an even steady 1930mHz. None of which is supposed to be at low tilt or otherwise ‘effective’ at ground level (yeah right). None of which is “supposed to be” VLF/ELF or 2+gHz (official descriptions 😛 ) Go a few miles South and there’s another neighborhood with some substantial geography in the way of this particular setup, in fact in the way of anything except a lone cell tower. Somebody, please come do a study here! We’re perfect! We have deer, fish, random wildlife, people, pets, grouchy landowners and a small enclave of spectacular learning disabilities, psychiatric & physiological problems! Send us some scientists and somebody with a really good oscilloscope with microphone.
OK, that explains why you are grumpy. So for my part, after plotting dead fish and sinkholes for a year while researching our “weather” to see if it is gradually ionizing us (which I think it is), which was extremely boring, about six months into posting my maps some biologists started to take notice. One PhD candidate helped me run statistics, which shows a high correlation in Florida between locations of microwave radar towers and dead fish due to hypoxia/blooms (and sinkhole locations). Correlation is not causation but it implies one should look closer at the relationship. I then got some interest from other biologists in the past couple of months and I have supplied them all of the data I have collected. They have access to a national health database and that research is underway now. FYI, you might be lucky to only have a 65 kW ARSR-4 radar nearby . Based upon my research, I think the 1300 kW ASR-9s and 750 kW NEXRAD radars are bad actors. This stuff is pulsing 24/7 and the atmosphere is scattering and bending it to the Earth and thru all of us, more so when there is cloud cover. We have immersed ourselves in this stuff.
Thanks for reading.
Stewart