The effect of environmental temperature and average dose rate of microwave radiation on the oxygen-consumption rate of mice.

The oxygen consumption rate of CF1 male mice was determined before, during, and after sham- and microwave-irradiation at environmental temperatures of 20 degrees C, 24 degrees C, 30 degrees C, and 35 degrees C, relative humidity of 55%, and air flow rate of 78 ml/min. Five forward power levels ranging from 0.09 to 3.3 W, which resulted in corresponding average dose rates ranging from 1.2 to 45.1 mW/g were used. The values of the oxygen consumption rate were converted to those of the specific metabolic rate (SMR). The result indicates that with high levels of microwave dosing (greater than 10 mW/g) the specific metabolic rate of mice decreased in some cases, in the environmental temperatures of 20 degrees C and 24 degrees C. However, the decreased SMR values were not lower than the SMR values of the sham-irradiated group in 30 degrees C. In the case of 35 degrees C, the high level dosing with microwave radiation caused increases in the SMR value over the sham value. A possible trend towards increased SMR value during and after irradiationwith low level (1.6 mW/g) microwave radiation in the environmental temperatures of 24 degrees C and 30 degrees C suggests further experiments with low level microwave radiation to determine possible effects of low level microwave radiation in stimulating increases in specific metabolic rate.