REPORTER AT LARGE - MICROWAVES-II

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120113-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 28
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 10, 2012
• Sequence Number: 113
• Publication Date: December 20, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88BO1125R000300120113-6
~7rttir ?.l ly' 7=.L_ cv V J. I?lor.n X71 V _...
MICRO\Y/A V ES---!I
\E of the most controversial development laboratories, and factories
figures to emerge from the tan- in which radar systems were being as-
Vic of controversy surrounding sembled. To insure that Zaret's findings
biological effects of microwaves would he made on a wholly objective'
the last decade has been Dr. A1,l- basis, there were sane workers +vlio~
M. Z:u'et, an ophthalmologist prac-.`' had been exposed to microwaves and
in Scarsdale, New 'S'ock, and a some, as control subjects, who had no
cal associate professor of ophthal- history of exposure; and Zares pro- N.-n-v strange," he said not ago.
. ogy at the New York University- ceccled to cx tmine them all without "In April of 1960, while I was con-
evtie Aledical, Center.' Dr. Zaret's }:mowing who had been exposed and ducting a pilot study of forty-odd radar
rh entent ++'it17~ micro;vales began in who had not. In every case, an opt- wo 'leers up at Grifliss Air Force Base,
9, when he was :skctj to conduct a T11"1111014-ical history of the patient was in Rome, New York, I :examined a
e) to determine the occurrence of obtained to determine ++?hcthcr there ) cons; man in his e,,rly twenties who
defects and cataract formation was a nyliereditarS' predisposition to cat- had a cataract on the posterior p,rtiorl
he eyes of radar technicians and aract formation; the patient's eyes were
'owa+?e workers employed in* the tested for visual acuity; the lenses of his
e?d forces and' in the defense in- eyes were examined with a slit lamp,
ry. Cataracts were knbwit to occur which is a type of microscope that
le eyes of workers exposed to infra- beams light into the eye and makes it
radiation, and had, been produced possible to scrutinize the lens in minute
is eves of animals exposed to micro- detail; and three-dimensional photo-
e radiation; in addition, there was graphs of each lens were taken. When
lien a documented case in which the survey was complrted, no cataracts
uwave radiation had been deter- were found, but there was a slight ex-
rd to be the cause of cataract fur- cess of minor defects in the lenses of
on in a microwave worker. Car- the group exposed to microwaves. Since
out as a joint effort by the medical 'Zaret knew from clinical experience
er's departments of ophthalmology that such imperfections were not the
industrial medicine, the survey was precursors of cataracts but merely an
nccd by the Air Force, and was indication of the normal effect of aging,
ertsken as part of the "l'ri-S:?rvice upon the lens, he concluded that they
+m-a form-}rear investigation of did not serve as an indicator of cumu-
hiulo`."Cal effects of microwave ra- lative exposure to microwaves and were
nn which was conducted by the of no clinical significance in determin-
e branches of the Department of ing whether or not microwave workers
ease. It marked the start of a long were at special risk of developing cata-
rge of d'scnvery for Zaret, who racts. Moreover, he noted that since it
rtuaily came to believe that micro- was impossible to establish with any ac-
.e radiation and other radio-fire- curacy the microwave levels to which
Icy waves posed a far greater health the workers had been exposed, no con-
rd than-anyone had ever suspected. elusions could be drawn from the sur-
ietceen the spring of 1960 and the vey ::bout the safety of the ten-milliwatt
ig of 1963, Zarct examined the level--the 'standard of exposure that
of it selected population of nearly had been adopted by the military in
ed at sixteen military and civilian
,llatiuns in the United States, Alas-
and Greenland, including Arrny,
)?, and Air Force bases, missile-
:ing facilities, r: dar-research-and-.
PAB - 95
Althouf h the results of the 'three-
year survey were inconclusive, Z ret
had made some unusual observations
in the course of it that in time pro- ?~
foundly altered his own thinking about
how microwaves could affect the eyes.
of the lens as well a. areas of opacity
on the posterior capsule. Now, the
cnpstat: is a t?ansp:u-ent cl.?rstic mem-
brane about ten microns-or one t++wen- r
ty-five hundredth of an inch-thick
which surrounds the lens the way a
cellophane wrapper surrounds a piece
of candy, and only in extremely rare.
circumstances do cataraetous changes
occur in it. The only capsular cata-
racts I had ever come across had'
occurred in glasshlowers and other
workers exposed to the intense heat
of infrared radiation, and those cata-
racts, as might he expected, had de-
veloped on the anterior, or front,
portion of the capsule. In fact, I had
never seen a cataract on the posterior
capsule of an otherwise healthy eye be-
fore, and I didn't know what to niake
of it. Since the young- man was a
juvenile diabetic, however, and since
diabetes is known to be a causative
factor in the formation of cataracts,
there were no conclusions to be drawn
from the case. I made a note to re-
examine him, but unfortunately he died
in the meantime. He was found tin-
-conscious at the foot of a microwave
relay tower, and he (lied in what was
j dia
nosed
di
b
i
i
l
d
g
as a
a
et
c-re
ate
urern
c
stated in his final report that a proposed , coma."
follow-up survey of lens imperfections Zaret went on to say that he Lad
in these patients would serve no useful ntad. another unusual ob:cnarion in
purpose, and he recommended that it ~ the summer of 1961, while exa:riving a
not he undertaken. group of civilian radi- workers at the
13allistic Alissile. Early Warning Sys-
-
tern installation in Thule, Greenland.
EP-OfTEf. AT LAfGE
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120113-6
 ? rrcLE M. Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B0l 125R000300120113-6
O P11 GO"
A
.. +AEfi'QUEK". AT LAKGE
v gle of controversy surrounding
the biological effects of microwaves
over the last decade has been Dr. Mil-
ton M. Zaret, an ophthalmologist prac-
tieing in Scarsdale, New York, and a
clinical associate professor of opltthal-
mology at the New York University-
Bellevtie Medical Center. Dr. Zaret's.
20 DECEMBER 19Th
MICROWAVES--11 --? - ..-i -
NE of the most controversial
involve rent w~i4h'tnicrowat?es began in who had not. In every case, an oph- 1 wnTkers up at Griffins Air Force Base,
1959, when he was wkcd to conduct a
survey to determine the occurrence of
Terns defects . and cataract formation
in the eyes of radar - Technicians. and-
tnicrowave workers employed in the
armed. forces and' in the defense in-
dustry. Cataracts were known to occur
in the eyes of workers exposed to infra-
red radiation, and had. been produced
in the eyes of animals exposed to micro-
wave radiation; in addition, there was
hr theft a documented case in which
microwave radiation had been deter-
mined to be the cause of cataract for-
mation in a microwave worker. Car-
ried. out as a joint effort by the medical
:center's departments of ophthalmology
and industrial medicine, the survey was
financed by the Air Force, and was
undertaken as part of the Tri-Service
Progra n-a four-year investigation of
the biological effects of microwave ra-
diation which was conducted by the
three brtnches of the Department of
Defense. It marked the start of a long
voyage of discovery for Zaret, who
eventually came to believe that micro-
wave radiation and other radio-fre-
quency waves posed a far greater health
hazard than anyone had ever suspected.
Between the spring of 1960 and the
spring of 1963, Zaret examined the
eyes of a selected population of nearly
sixteen hundred workers who were em-
ployed at sixteen military and civilian
installations in the United States, Alas-
ka, and Greenland, including Army,
Navy, and Air Force bases, missile-
tracking. facilities, . radar-research-and-.
development laboratories, and factories Although the results of the three-
in which radar systems were being as- year survey were inconclusive, Zaret
sembled. To insure that Zaret's findings- had made some unusual observations
would be made on a wholh? objective.;, in the course of it that in time pro-..I
basis, there were some workers wlia , foundly altered his own thinking about
had been exposed to microwaves and how microwaves could affect the eyes.
some, as control subjects, who had no "Right off the hat, I saw something
'history of exposure; and Zaret pro- very strange," he said not long ago.
curled to rr-mine thrni all without "In A
ril of 1960- while T was con-
p
knowing who had been exposed and ; ducting a pilot stidy of forty-odd radar
thaltnological history of the patient was , in Rome, -New York, V examined a
obtained to determine whether there 'young man in his early. twenties who
was any.hereditary predisposition to cat- had a cataract on the posterior portion
aract formation; the patient's eyes were {
tested for visual acuity; the lenses of his
eyes were examined with a slit lamp,
which is a type of microscope that
beams light into the eye and makes it
possible to scrutinize tine lens in minute
detail; and three-dimensional photo-
graphs of each lens were taken. When
the survey was completed, no cataracts
were found, but there was a slight ex-
cess of minor defects in the lenses of
the group exposed to microwaves. Since
'Zaret -knew from clinical experience
that such imperfections. ' were not the
precursors of cata,-acts but merely an
indication of the normal effect of aging.
upon the lens, he concluded that they
did not serve as an indicator of cumu-
lative exposure to microwaves and were
of no clinical significance in determin-
ing whether or not microwave workers
were at special -risk of developing cain-
racts. Moreover, he noted that since it
was impossible to establish with any ac-
the microwave levels to which
curacy
the workers had been exposed, no con-
clusions could be drawn from the sur-
vey about the safety of the ten-milliwatt
level-the 'standard of exposure that
had been adopted by the military in
1957 and 1958. For these reasons, he }
stated in his final report that a proposed
follow-up survey of lens imperfections
'in these patients would serve no useful
'purpose, and he recommended that it
not he undertaken.
of the lens as well as areas of opacity
on the posterior capsule. Now, the
capsule is a transparent elastic mere-
brane about ten microns --or one twen-
ty-five hundredth of an inch-thick
which surrounds the lens the Way a.
cellophane wrapper surrounds a piece
.of candy, and only in extremely rare.:
circumstances do cataractous chances
occur in it. The only capsular cata-
racts I had ever come across had
occurred in glassblowers and other
workers exposed to the intense heat
of infrared radiation, and those Bata-
.racts, as might he expected, had de-
veloped on the anterior, or front,
portion of the capsule. In fact, I had
never seen a cataract on the posterior
capsule of an otherwise healthy eye be-
fore, and I didn't know what to make
of it. Since the young ? man was, a
juvenile diabetic, however,' and since
diabetes is known to be a causative
factor in the formation of cataracts,
there were- no conclusions to be drawn }
from the case. I made a 'note to re-
examine him, but unfortunately he died
in the . meantime. He was found un-
?conscious at the foot of'a microwave
-relay tower, and he died in what vas
diagnosed as a diabetic-related uremic
coma." - }
Zaret went on to say that he 'had,
made another unusual Qbscrvation in
the summer of 1961 while examinin
a
g
, group of civilian radar workers at the
Pallistic Missile Early Warning Sys-1
tem installation in Thule. Greenland.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B0l 125R000300120113-6
 .I1..." 1 eu 1 1 n ! I iI , x 'r d; !nl inel1i'"L41V1~i1~ lltliil ~ ~ ~r~ T +~~ ~xa~mrrr.~-~ 1 _ I t
"Two men d+ Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88B0l 125R000300120113-6
.noticed swelling Zit inc vcn,.s nc saiu. turned. out, what I found,.: ultimately
'Such swelling_ usually occurs within changed .my'whole thinking ;.about mi-
two weet$ of some acute injury ; or'1 crowave cataractogenesis, for slit lamp
trauma to the eye, so I went to the examination. revealed not only that all
health+andr ety people---at the.,liase.kl six of' these patients had _develo ingthe-biological effects of mi mystery by irradiating monkeys and diation was permeating the modern
crow,aves, which had previously been other test animals in a secret study environment; that such man-made ra-
carried on in scientific and military called Project Pandora, whose results dration had no counterpart in mart's
circles, -received considerable public were said to have been inconclusive. evolutionary -background; that exist-
attention
thanks to a series
,
of articles written by the
-syndicated columnist Jack
Anderson which appeared in
newspapers from one end of
the country to the other.
Anderson began by describ-
ing the plight of a: group. of
retired Air Force, radar tech-
nicians 'who had -developed
cataracts after serving as
crewmen on Lockheed Con- - I
stellation EC-12'1 spy planes,
and by questioning the claim.
of the Air Force that the lev-
els of microwave radiation to
which these men had been
exposed presented no hazard
to their eyes. He went on to
::v that in 1969 the Air
Force had transferred the
physician in charge of radio
"ology at its Aerospace
Medical Division after. he had
stated ;,publicly that micro-
'aave radiation presented a
serious hazard to the eyes of
servicemen exposed to radar
andoAher mt towave devices
and that thorough investiga- i
ing levels of radio-frequency
:_. ly if genetic effects were in-
term, low-level exposure
could become a critical pub-
lic-health problem-especial :.3
energy might already be bi .
ologieally' significant; and
that the consequences of un-
dervaluing or misjudging the ?
biological effects of long-
vowed. Having hinted at the
unthinkable in its overall
evaluation of the ptnblem,
the council proceeded to rec-
ommend- ways of solving it
which promised to .continue:
a business-a,-usual approach
Instead, ; it called for a - o-
o dinated 'five-)'ear, multi-
agency, sixty-three-million..
to the situation. In its "Pro-
gramfor Control of Electro-
magnetic Pollution of the.
Environment," which -was
adopted by the government,
the council did not propose
a single ' measure for. con-
trolling microwave radiation..
dollar research,e$nrt tole-. I
termine whether microwave.:
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 a?nncnrp to lnW 1CVA of ra-
r`HE publicity generated by the ovens to L. o et~ ~;: things that want to do.
AA microwave controversy in 1971 er, deputy director of the bu- people
d? for r and want done for them. I
d
f
the testing of microwave .. tave .you
D R b L Eld- " y -..' that are doing very useful
cifects of long term log: -level nucro- Bureau o a oc,~.~
wave radiation to the Department of praised the government's microwave- with the Consumers Union that it
Defense, which for twenty-five years research program and defended the would be unwise to expose yourself to
had been not only trying to deny that five-milliwatt emission standard for mi- any unneeded radiation until more is
any such hazards mi ht exist but cast- crowave ovens, saying, "Although re- known?"
ing a pall of obfusauiun over the entire liable human data [arc] not yet avail- "No one should expose himself to
question in much the saute way that able, we do have animal experiments any unneeded radiation," Dr. White-
metallic chaff was dropped from air- and epidemiological studies to give its head replied. "The problem is that so
1,lanes during the Second World War confidence that the limit that we have much of the radiation that people are -
a
to create false echoes and blur the one- set is reasonable." Villforth subsequent- exposed to-microwave ovens, televt-
1 referred questions about sion transmitters, and what
my's rarL r. )' all devices
mazy respunstbthty for determining t who was Jo to f R d ,
' m al Health who Dr. ~Srhitehead, "v.ouldn't you agree
radiati?t Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RUP88B01125R000300120113-6
Moreover, the council delegated . pri- The first witness at the neanngs U,.1,11?,.... __._ stua.
1 1 C Vilifrn h director of the "If this is true," Senator Tunney asked
m
mittee was the increasing proliferation tote s su co
emitting microwaves . into hazards, he had recommended that the come manifest, the effects are seldom
of devices tin uicle be lowered recognized." Zaret went on to char-
a
and, 1972 was bound to have political. an an
ormer ree, think the important thing to
repercussions, and on March 8, 1973, of its Division- of Electronic g
the Senate's Committee on Commerce Products, who also defended recognize is that there is no
evidence that there is a haz- -'
opened three days of hearings to de' the five-milliwatt level as val-
termine how the Radiation Control for id in terms of the available biological and from low-level energy radiations.
Health and Safety Actf 1968 (Public information. Senator Tunney then It's just that there is some uncertain-
.Law 90-602) had functioned since its asked Dr. Elder, "If low-level effects ty in the scientific knowledge, and
passage. The committee's presiding offi- are unknown, why not err on the side that we can't rest on our laurels." -
cer, Senator John V. Tunney, of Cali- of safety-particularly when . research - The next witness to appear- before
fornia, said in his opening statement, that has been done on low-level expo- the committee was Dr. Zaret, who
"Unfortunately, preliminary work by sure by the Russians and other re- stated at the outset that in his opinion
the committee has raised some disturb-' searchers in this country, such as Dr. there was a "clear, present, and ever-
ing questions about radiation safety in Milton Zaret, demonstrate that it could increasing danger" to the entire poptt-
this country, and calls into question be injurious to health?" Elder said he lation of the United States from expo-
whether Public Law 90-602 has in fact believed that in setting up its testing sure to the non-ionizing portion of the
resulted in big enough steps being taken procedures the bureau had erred on the electromagnetic spectrum. "The dap-
to insure that long-term and far-reach- side of safety to begin with. Something gees cannot be overstated," Zaret said,
ing radiation damage will be avoided." he did not mention was that less than "because most non-ionizing radiational
.Senator Tunney went on to say that a year before, as a member of the- injuries occur covertly, usually do not
a major source of concern to the corn- American National- Standards Insti- become manifest until after latent pe-
anioc on radio-frequency nods of years, and when they do be-
t.
the environment; that industry would- microwave-proe" g
soon be selling two hundred thousand to one milliwatt per square centimetre. actcrize the ten-milliwatt level recotn-
microwave ovens a year; and that . O'n the following day, Dr. Clay T. mended by the American National
"only yesterday the Consumers Union Whitehead, director of the Office of Standards Institute's subcommittee on
recommended against the purchase of Telecommunications Policy, told the radio-frequency hazards'--an organiza-
any microwave oven, primarily because committee that his office was attempt- tion from which he had recently re-
of the unknown biological effects of ing to coordinate studies in the research signed-as being patently unsafe, and
microwaves." Senator Tunney was re- program recommended by the Electro- to blame the Department of Defense
ferring to an announcement that Con- magnetic Radiation Management Ad- for leading the country astray 'by mini-
sumers Union had obviously issued to visory Council, which were being car- mining the true extent of the micro-
coincide with the opening of the hear- tied out by the Department of Defense wave-radiation hazard. He was partic-
in and that was being carried in -together with a dozen different agencies ularly critical of the ethics and the
gs,
newspapers across- the country. In its and subagencies. When Senator Tun- safety of a study 'being conducted at
announcement, Consumers Union stat- ney asked him if he was satisfied that the Naval Aerospace Medical Research
ed that it had found measurable radia- adequate protection was being given to Laboratory, in Pensacola, Florida, in
tion'leakage in fifteen. leading micro- consumers, and particularly to house- which human volunteers were being
rave-oven models; that it considered' wives using microwave ovens, Dr. exposed to radio waves in the extreme-
the government's five-milliwatt emis- Whitehead replied that although he ly-low-frequency portion, or ELF, of
siren standard inadequate, because there was not an expert in the field, he was the electromagnetic spectrum. This
were no data on what quantity of low- convinced that "the standards that we study had been undertaken to assess the
level radiation could cause human in- have now are appropriate to the kinds possible biological hazards of Project
jur that although the leakage it had ? of hazards that we can document Sanguine, an ambitious scheme--later
'detected was within the five-milliwatt through scientific study." Senator Tun- renamed Project Seafarer--that would
level, a tug on the door of one model ney then recalled that in a press release bury a gigantic, three-to-four-thou-
and a paper towel caught in the door announcing the government's research sand-square-mile underground radio-
of another caused leakage far in excess program Dr. Whitehead had stated antenna system three to six feet below
of the government standard; and that that the potential impact of microwave ground in the Upper, Peninsula of
it felt the burden of proof was there- radiation on human beings was un- Michigan, in order to permeate the en-
Fore - -----' " tnr wn- and that the probable effects of tire biosphere with extremely-low-fee-
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: CIA-RDP88BO1125R000300120113-6 ~~ ice'
 --I L )- to Co III :Litt ic,t: wet c ccn v n_..
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/05/10: _CIA-RDP88B01125R000300120113 '6
rrserraunns about the stud
y were suh_ "" """on s taxlrtycrs about tit" safety of microwave --- i
hundred
illi
r.,
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m
n pee
on
5;dueatly confirmed in parr b
ollars, by voting snective b
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