Auditory response in rats exposed to 2,450 MHz electromagnetic fields in a circularly polarized waveguide.

Rats were exposed to 2,450-MHz pulsed microwave fields in a circularly polarized waveguide. The threshold incident energy density per pulse was about 1.5 to 3 microJ/cm2 over the range 1-10 microseconds. The corresponding whole-body averaged specific absorption of energy was 0.9 to 1.8 mJ/kg per pulse. The same response was evoked when the incident energy density or absorbed energy density per pulse was the same, regardless of the pulse widths.