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Data from studies for biomedical use are insufficient and incomparable for determining risk to health from 5G and 6G communications is what I have found. Some studies show these radio waves alter the structural components of DNA but there is yet to be determined a threshold level of detrimental dose in the context of communications.
Some of this is now published on the Parliament website as Submission No. 9 Parliamentary Inquiry into 5G in Australia October 2019.
Why I looked into 5G and 6G effects
Last year I underwent life saving photon radiation treatment. Scary as it was, once I researched how it works and how it relates to the physics of the Atom bombs I felt more at ease. So a few days ago I discovered that a mobile phone tower located a few hundred meters from my residence, is assigned to transmit 5G radio waves through my house as it falls in direct line of the next transmission tower. We already have high tensile power lines running along our road but I told myself about those when they were erected, “you can’t worry about everything”. To alleviate my concerns and my curiosity, I did some digging and this is what I found so far. So you know, I don’t claim to be an expert on this topic but I do have a background in medical research which I have found helpful.
What I have learnt about radiation
Radiation is energy radiated in the form of rays, waves or particles. It is either ionizing radiation or non ionizing or indirect ionizing. Ionizing is strong enough to remove electrons from orbiting an atom leaving the atom charged or ionized. Indirectly ionizing radiation from neutral particles deposits energy into the medium through a two step process. Either, a charged particle is released into the medium by liberating atomic electrons or generating positrons, neutrons release protons or heavier ions; or the released charged particles deposit energy to the medium through direct Coulumb interactions. A Coulumb interaction is the force between two stationary charged particles.
Ionizing, indirect ionizing and non ionizing radiation cause damage to DNA. 5G is a form of high frequency radio wave, 6G is even higher frequency and both are described as non ionizing radiation. An example of indirect ionising radiation is photons. Photons are light energy that is an indirect ionizing radiation that pass through medium and do not linger and have a half life like ionizing radiation. Photons and other indirect ionizing radiation cause damage to DNA with radiation damaging different types of macromolecules. Either way, a classification of indirect ionizing or non ionizing radiation is perhaps only relevant in terms of mode of damage to cells but not to whether or not damage occurs. Non ionizing radiation such as Ultra Violet radiation causes DNA damage by initiating a reaction between thymine molecules that are structural components of DNA. The start of cancer cell proliferation is often caused by DNA damage.
What is known about various ionization radiation types is the response of particular tissue to the damaging effect of radiation. This is called the effective dose and it incorporates a tissue weighting factor which is a measure of absorption. Unfortunately, according to the American Federal Communications Commission there is currently no radio frequency RF exposure standard. However the SAR or specific absorption rate expressed as units of watts per kg whole body absorption of RF energy by a standing human adult has shown to occur at a maximum rate when the frequency if 80 MHz (0.08 GHz) to 100 MHz (0.1 GHz) (OET Bulletin 1999 Cleveland & Ulcek). This report written in 1999, well before current technologies exist describes the SAR and the potential for harm and states;
“Because of this ‘resonance’ phenomenon, RF safety standards have taken account of this frequency dependence of whole-body human absorption, and the most restrictive limits on exposure are found to be in this frequency range (the very high frequency of “VHF” frequency range.”.
5G
The bandwidth that 5G is between (30000 MHz) 30 GHz and (300000 MHz) 300GHz (millimeter band) which is super high to extreme high frequencies, presumably well above the maximum SAR absorption rate for harm to the human body. To put this in perspective household wireless device and appliance are within the range 3kHz to 6GHz (to 6000 MHz) very low to super high frequencies. See Table 1.
Table 1 Frequency Spectrum
Source: University of Notra Dame
In terms of SAR (Specific Absorption Rate), gonads and eyes have the highest tissue rating factor and thus the highest absorption rate and are most vulnerable to radiation damage. The ratings for tissue types with highest to lowest are:
0.2 gonads
0.12 colon, stomach, bone marrow, lung
0.05 chest, liver, bladder, thyroid, oesophagus, adrenals, brain, small intestine, kidney, muscle, pancreas, spleen, thymus, uterus
0.01 skin and bone surface
(ICRP 100 2007).
What I want to know.
What is the detriment from radiation of this super to extreme high radio frequency level that 5G and 6G uses? Detriment is a term used to measure of the total harm that will result after exposure to radiation. What is the threshold dose for biological damage from the 30 to 300GHz bandwidth of radio frequency radiation? The document that the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency referred me to when I made enquiries to them is An Opinion on Potential health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks on 2015. I looked at the 14 studies in the 30-300GHz range cited in this report and have listed these, added their abstracts and commented on my interpretation further down in this article.
I did a brief literature search and found one study (Baste 2008) of military men (10,497 respondents) in the Norwegian Navy exposed to radio frequency fields that disturbingly found
“In all age groups there were significant linear trends with higher prevalence of involuntary childlessness with higher self-reported exposure to radio frequency fields”
There are studies that suggest significant harm from radio frequency radiation from mobile phone towers, phone and other communications but there is an absence of research into very high radio frequency waves, especially how these affect tissue when emitted across vast space such is how 5G and 6G operates.
Level of Detriment
My main concern is there are no existing studies to enable us to know the threshold level or the level of detriment to the human body, especially one that is radio-sensitive from photon therapy as mine is now. (Radiotherapy has made my body more susceptible to all radiation exposure including UV radiation damage). Also, there is no knowledge of the level of detriment to host related factors that alter the susceptibility to radiation injury such as age, smoking and co-morbidities such as infections, malignancy, collagen vascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.
There is no knowledge on the level of detriment to those individuals with rare genetic conditions such as Bloom’s Syndrome, Fanconi’s anaemia and ataxia telangiectasia. These people have advanced cellular radiosensitivity due to mutations in their repair genes. Until rigorous studies investigating the risk to human health of this specific radiation proposed for the 5G and 6G communications, I am concerned for myself, my family’s and my community’s short and long-term health. Our government has a duty of care to its people and we expect as a democratic society for this to be upheld.
My Comments on studies in the 30-300 GHz range cited in
Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Risks Opinion on Potential health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) 2015
In summary, nearly all of these studies (14) show detriment to health of exposure in the 30-300GHz range. The ones that do not, either have limitations in methodology or do not seem relatable to the mechanics of 5G and 6G wave length usage. In the latter, this is most likely because the context of these studies is not for investigating the detrimental effects of radio waves but rather aimed at investigating the effects of radio waves for therapeutic biomedical use. This results in incomparable data. The data is relevant for the field of biomedicine but not the field of communications.
The positive side of the biomedical studies is that there is potential for this particular radiation like other radiation types (once the physical parameters are fully understood and described) to have a useful biomedical role. However, until threshold levels of detriment (especially to DNA) in the context of 5G and 6G use are known in the context of communications, I remain concerned with the short and long effect of the terahertz radio waves on human health and also other biological organisms.
Study 1
Beneduci A (2009). Evaluation of the potential in vitro antiproliferative effects of
millimeter waves at some therapeutic frequencies on RPMI 7932 human skin malignant
melanoma cells. Cell biochemistry and biophysics, 55, 25-32.
Abstract
The potential antiproliferative effects of low power millimeter waves (MMWs) at 42.20 and 53.57 GHz on RPMI 7932 human skin melanoma cells were evaluated in vitro in order to ascertain if these two frequencies, comprised in the range of frequency used in millimeter wave therapy, would have a similar effect when applied in vivo to malignant melanoma tumours. Cells were exposed for 1 h exposure/day and to repeated exposure up to a total of four treatments. Plane wave incident power densities <1 mW/cm(2) were used in the MMWs-exposure experiments so that the radiations did not cause significant thermal effects. Numerical simulations of Petri dish reflectivity were made using the equations for the reflection coefficient of a multilayered system. Such analysis showed that the power densities transmitted into the aqueous samples were < or = 0.3 mW/cm(2). Two very important and general biological endpoints were evaluated in order to study the response of melanoma cells to these radiations, i.e. cell proliferation and cell cycle. Herein, we show that neither cell doubling time nor the cell cycle of RPMI 7932 cells was affected by the frequency of the GHz radiation and duration of the exposure, in the conditions above reported.
Limitations of Study
This study found that very high frequency radiation doesn’t increase proliferation of cancer cells in vivo which is not surprising as it is the microenvironment of the host that effects growth of cancer cells and the risk from radiation is in causing DNA damage that begins the proliferation process.
Study 2
Clothier RH and Bourne N (2003). Effects of THz exposure on human primary
keratinocyte differentiation and viability. Journal of Biological Physics, 29, 179–85.
Abstract
Primary human keratinocytes can be driven, in vitro, to differentiate, via activation of transglutaminases, by raising the culture medium calcium concentration above 1 mM. This results intransglutaminase regulated cross linking of specific amino acids with resultant cornified envelope formation. The differentiation was monitored via the incorporation of fluorescein cadaverine into the cornified envelops. This differentiation assay was combined with assessment of reductive capacity ofresazurin, as a measure of cellactivity/viability. One primary aim is to assess the effects of THz radiation on human skin, since medical imaging of the body through the skin is envisaged. Human keratinocytes, at passage 2 from isolation, were grown to confluence, and transported in a buffered salt solution at22 °C. The exposure to the THz source was for 10, 20 or 30 minutes at room temperature. No donor specific inhibition or stimulation of cell activity, compared with non-exposed cells, was noted following exposure in the range 1 to 3 THz, at up to 0.45J/cm2.The differentiation also occurred in a normal way, for exposed and non-exposed cells, with the FC incorporation increasing between day 3 and day 8, as previously noted.
Limitations of Study
“This research area is expected to contribute significantly to the full realisation of 5G and to advances in telecommunications further into the future.”
Study 3
Hintzsche H, Jastrow C, Kleine-Ostmann T, Stopper H, Schmid E, Schrader T (2011).
Terahertz radiation induces spindle disturbances in human-hamster hybrid cells, Radiat
Res, 175(5), 569-74.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate and quantify the production of spindle disturbances in A(L) cells, a human-hamster hybrid cell line, by 0.106 THz radiation (continuous wave). Monolayer cultures in petri dishes were exposed for 0.5 h to 0.106 THz radiation with power densities ranging from 0.043 mW/cm(2) to 4.3 mW/cm(2) or were kept under sham conditions (negative control) for the same period. As a positive control, 100 µg/ml of the insecticide trichlorfon, which is an aneuploidy-inducing agent, was used for an exposure period of 6 h. During exposure, the sample containers were kept at defined environmental conditions in a modified incubator as required by the cells. Based on a total of 6,365 analyzed mitotic cells, the results of two replicate experiments suggest that 0.106 THz radiation is a spindle-acting agent as predominately indicated by the appearance of spindle disturbances at the anaphase and telophase (especially lagging and non-disjunction of single chromosomes) of cell divisions. The findings in the present study do not necessarily imply disease or injury but may be important for evaluating possible underlying mechanisms.
Detrimental health effects found
This study found significant DNA damage by THz radiation.
“Based on a total of 6,365 analyzed mitotic cells, the results of two replicate experiments suggest that 0.106 THz radiation is a spindle-acting agent as predominately indicated by the appearance of spindle disturbances at the anaphase and telophase (especially lagging and non-disjunction of single chromosomes) of cell divisions”.
Study 4
Hintzsche H, Jastrow C, Kleine-Ostmann T, Kärst U, Schrader T, Stopper H (2012).
Terahertz electromagnetic fields (0.106 THz) do not induce manifest genomic damage in
vitro, PLoS One, 7(9), e46397.
Abstract
Terahertz electromagnetic fields are non-ionizing electromagnetic fields in the frequency range from 0.1 to 10 THz. Potential applications of these electromagnetic fields include the whole body scanners, which currently apply millimeter waves just below the terahertz range, but future scanners will use higher frequencies in the terahertz range. These and other applications will bring along human exposure to these fields. Up to now, only a limited number of investigations on biological effects of terahertz electromagnetic fields have been performed. Therefore, research is strongly needed to enable reliable risk assessment.Cells were exposed for 2 h, 8 h, and 24 h with different power intensities ranging from 0.04 mW/cm2 to 2 mW/cm2, representing levels below, at, and above current safety limits. Genomic damage on the chromosomal level was measured as micronucleus formation. DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile sites were quantified with the comet assay. No DNA strand breaks or alkali-labile sites were observed as a consequence of exposure to terahertz electromagnetic fields in the comet assay. The fields did not cause chromosomal damage in the form of micronucleus induction.
Comments
Although not significant this study did find that after the long exposure, the DNA in the tail region was increased in comparison to the sham-exposed sample. They conclude that “No induction of DNA strand breaks or chromosomal damage was observed. Very small alterations might not have been detectable because the cells showed considerable background level of DNA damage”.
[They used an assay known as a Comet Assay. Definition of tail moment: term incorporates a measure of both the smallest detectable size of migrating DNA (reflected in the tail length) and the number of relaxed/broken pieces (represented by the intensity of DNA in the tail. The tail moment indicates the degree of the genotoxic effect on the DNA.]
Study 5
Hwang Y, Ahn J Mun J Bae S Uk Jeong Y,Vinokurov NA and Kim P. In vivo analysis of THz
wave irradiation induced acute inflammatory response in skin by laser scanning confocal
microscopy. Optic Express 2014, 22 (10), 11465.
Abstract
The recent development of THz sources in a wide range of THz frequencies and power levels has led to greatly increased interest in potential biomedical applications such as cancer and burn wound diagnosis. However, despite its importance in realizing THz wave based applications, our knowledge of how THz wave irradiation can affect a live tissue at the cellular level is very limited. In this study, an acute inflammatory response caused by pulsed THz wave irradiation on the skin of a live mouse was analyzed at the cellular level using intravital laser-scanning confocal microscopy. Pulsed THz wave (2.7 THz, 4 μs pulsewidth, 61.4 μJ per pulse, 3Hz repetition), generated using compact FEL, was used to irradiate an anesthetized mouse’s ear skin with an average power of 260 mW/cm(2) for 30 minutes using a high-precision focused THz wave irradiation setup. In contrast to in vitro analysis using cultured cells at similar power levels of CW THz wave irradiation, no temperature change at the surface of the ear skin was observed when skin was examined with an IR camera. To monitor any potential inflammatory response, resident neutrophils in the same area of ear skin were repeatedly visualized before and after THz wave irradiation using a custom-built laser-scanning confocal microscopy system optimized for in vivo visualization. While non-irradiated control skin area showed no changes in the number of resident neutrophils, a massive recruitment of newly infiltrated neutrophils was observed in the THz wave irradiated skin area after 6 hours, which suggests an induction of acute inflammatory response by the pulsed THz wave irradiation on the skin via a non-thermal process.
Detrimental health effects found
“ a massive recruitment of newly infiltrated neutrophils was observed in the THz wave irradiated skin area after 6 hours, which suggests an induction of acute inflammatory response by the pulsed THz wave irradiation on the skin via a non-thermal process”.
Study 6
Kirichuk VF, EfimovaN, Andronov E (2009). Effect of High Power Terahertz Irradiation on
Platelet Aggregation and Behavioral Reactions of Albino Rats. Bull Exp Biol Med, 48(5),
746–9.
Abstract
Intensive terahertz irradiation at the nitric oxide emission and absorption spectrum frequencies (150.176-150.664 GHz) applied for 60 min to male albino rats subjected to acute immobilization stress enhanced platelet aggregation and induced signs of depression.
Detrimental health effects found
This study on behavioral reactions and aggregation activity found enhanced platelet aggregation and induced signs of depression.
Study 7
Kirichuk VF, Tsymbal AA (2009). Use of Terahertz Electromagnetic Waves for Correcting
Hemostasis Functions. Biomedical Engineering, 44(1), 11–14.
Abstract
The influence of terahertz range waves at 129.0 GHz (frequency of the molecular spectrum of radiation and absorption of atmospheric oxygen) on faulty coagulation hemostasis and its fibrinolysis potential was studied under conditions of experimental stress. Considerable hypercoagulation and the suppression of fibrinolysis of blood were observed in experimental animals exposed to experimental stress. The influence of 129.0 GHz radiation was studied in animals under conditions of immobilizing stress. No considerable changes in the faulty indicators of hemostasis and fibrinolysis were observed for 5-min exposure duration. In case of 15-min exposure, partial normalization of indicators characterizing the coagulation cascade and fibrinolysis was observed. The influence of terahertz radiation on the specified frequencies within 30 min caused full normalization of hemocoagulation and fibrinolysis as the studied indicators of a coagulation link of the system of hemostasis and fibrinolysis. Thus, on the basis of the presented data it is possible to draw a conclusion about positive effect of terahertz radiation at the frequency of the molecular spectrum of radiation and absorption of atmospheric oxygen (129.0 GHz) on the coagulation properties and fibrinolysis of blood in animals under conditions of immobilizing stress. A 30-min exposure proved to be especially effective for restoration of the indicators of hemocoagulation and fibrinolysis activity of blood.
Comments
This study found Terahertz range waves alters hemocoagulation and fibrinolysis activity of blood. My intpretation of this finding is that shows detriment to health however the authors conclude that this is a positive effect under conditions of stress.
Study 8
Le Quement C, Nicolaz CN, Zhadobov M, Desmots F, Sauleau R, Aubry M, Michel D, Le
Drean Y (2012). Whole-Genome Expression Analysis in Primary Human Keratinocyte Cell
Cultures Exposed to 60 GHz Radiation. Bioelectromagnetics, 33, 147-58.
Abstract
Human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) and human lens epithelial (SRA01/04) cells derived from the human eye were exposed to 60 gigahertz (GHz) millimeter-wavelength radiation for 24 h. There was no statistically significant increase in the micronucleus (MN) frequency in cells exposed to 60 GHz millimeter-wavelength radiation at 1 mW/cm2 compared with sham-exposed controls and incubator controls. The MN frequency of cells treated with bleomycin for 1 h provided positive controls. The comet assay, used to detect DNA strand breaks, and heat shock protein (Hsp) expression also showed no statistically significant effects of exposure. These results indicate that exposure to millimeter-wavelength radiation has no effect on genotoxicity in human eye cells.
Comments
This provides promising results of no detriment to eyes from 60 HGz radiation.
Limitations of study
The authors describe the limitations;
“Overall, it appears that exposure to millimeter-wavelength radiation has no genotoxicity effect, and does not alter Hsp expression in the absence of thermal effects. However, our study was performed on specific conditions. It has been shown that the effects of microwaves including millimeter-wavelength radiation strongly depend on a number of physical parameters such as frequency, modulation, polarization, background extremely low-frequency and static magnetic fields. We have to be more careful in comparing the data which were performed at different conditions. In addition, we have to consider rigid statistical calculations which we might be missing. In this study, we obtained high statistical power in the MN test; however, we could not obtain enough statistical power in the comet assay. We should be carefully aware of these statistical issues.”
Study 9
Nicolaz CN, Zhadobov M, Desmots F, Ansart A, Sauleau R, Thouroude D, Michel D, Le
Drean Y (2009). Study of narrow band millimeter-wave potential interactions with
endoplasmic reticulum stress sensor genes. Bioelectromagnetics, 30(5), 365-73.
Abstract
The main purpose of this article is to study potential biological effects of low-power millimeter waves (MMWs) on endoplasmic reticulum (ER), an organelle sensitive to a wide variety of environmental insults and involved in a number of pathologies. We considered exposure frequencies around 60 GHz in the context of their near-future applications in wireless communication systems. Radiations within this frequency range are strongly absorbed by oxygen molecules, and biological species have never been exposed to such radiations in natural environmental conditions. A set of five discrete frequencies has been selected; three of them coincide with oxygen spectral lines (59.16, 60.43, and 61.15 GHz) and two frequencies correspond to the spectral line overlap regions (59.87 and 60.83 GHz). Moreover, we used a microwave spectroscopy approach to select eight frequencies corresponding to the spectral lines of various molecular groups within 59-61 GHz frequency range. The human glial cell line, U-251 MG, was exposed or sham-exposed for 24 h with a peak incident power density of 0.14 mW/cm(2). The average specific absorption rate (SAR) within the cell monolayer ranges from 2.64 +/- 0.08 to 3.3 +/- 0.1 W/kg depending on the location of the exposed well. We analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the level of expression of two endogenous ER-stress biomarkers, namely, the chaperones BiP/GRP78 and ORP150/GRP170. It was found that exposure to low-power MMW does not significantly modify the mRNA levels of these stress-sensitive genes suggesting that ER homeostasis is not altered by low-power MMW at the considered frequencies.
Comments
They state results of the effect of low power waves on homeostasis of cells. I do not know how relevant low power is in mimicking the mechanics of 5G power waves.
Study 10
Ostrovskiy NV, et al. (2005) Application of the terahertz waves in therapy of burn
wounds. in Infrared and Millimeter Waves and 13th International Conference on
Terahertz Electronics, IRMMW-THz 2005.
Comments
This relates to using terahertz waves as a biomedical imaging tool. Like other radiation types, under controlled conditions development of terahertz waves may have a beneficial role in medicine.
Study 11
Swanson ES (2011). Modeling DNA response to THz radiation, Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin
Soft Matter Phys, 83(4 Pt 1), 040901.
Abstract
Collective response of DNA to terahertz electric fields is studied in a simple pair bond model. We confirm, with some caveats, a previous observation of destabilizing DNA breather modes and explore the parameter dependence of these modes. It is shown that breather modes are eliminated under reasonable physical conditions and that thermal effects are significant.
Comments
DNA “breathing” is defined as a thermally driven process in which base-paired DNA sequences transiently adopt local conformations that depart from their most stable structures.
From my inexpert understanding of this study, I interpret the results to indicate the modeled response of DNA to terahertz electric fields is to alter DNA pair bonds. This suggests detriment to health but it is limited as it is reliant on a model.
Study 13
Titova LV, Ayesheshim AK, Golubov A, Fogen D, Rodriguez-Juarez R, Hegmann FA,
Kovalchuk O. (2013a). Intense THz pulses cause H2AX phosphorylation and activate DNA
damage response in human skin tissue. Biomed Opt Express, 4(4), 559-68.
Abstract
Recent emergence and growing use of terahertz (THz) radiation for medical imaging and public security screening raise questions on reasonable levels of exposure and health consequences of this form of electromagnetic radiation. In particular, picosecond-duration THz pulses have shown promise for novel diagnostic imaging techniques. However, the effects of THz pulses on human cells and tissues thus far remain largely unknown. We report on the investigation of the biological effects of pulsed THz radiation on artificial human skin tissues. We observe that exposure to intense THz pulses for ten minutes leads to a significant induction of H2AX phosphorylation, indicating that THz pulse irradiation may cause DNA damage in exposed skin tissue. At the same time, we find a THz-pulse-induced increase in the levels of several proteins responsible for cell-cycle regulation and tumor suppression, suggesting that DNA damage repair mechanisms are quickly activated. Furthermore, we find that the cellular response to pulsed THz radiation is significantly different from that induced by exposure to UVA (400 nm).
Detriment to health found
Authors state; “we have observed that exposure to intense THz pulses induces phosphorylation of H2AX, indicative of the formation of DNA double strand breaks, and at the same time profoundly activates DNA damage response in artificial human skin tissues.
They also found “Simultaneous upregulation of multiple important tumor suppressor proteins in the exposed skin”.
They found DNA damage and then repair.
Study 14
Zeni O, Gallerano GP, Perrotta A, Romanò M, Sannino A, Sarti M, D’Arienzo M, Doria A,
Giovenale E, Lai A, Messina G, Scarfì MR (2007). Cytogenetic observations in human
peripheral blood leukocytes following in vitro exposure to THz radiation: a pilot study.
Health Phys, 92(4), 349-57.
Abstract
Emerging technologies are considering the possible use of Terahertz radiation in different fields ranging from telecommunications to biology and biomedicine. The study of the potential effects of Terahertz radiation on biological systems is therefore an important issue in order to safely develop a variety of applications. This paper describes a pilot study devoted to determine if Terahertz radiation could induce genotoxic effects in human peripheral blood leukocytes. For this purpose, human whole blood samples from healthy donors were exposed for 20 min to Terahertz radiation. Since, to our knowledge, this is the first study devoted to the evaluation of possible genotoxic effects of such radiation, different electromagnetic conditions were considered. In particular, the frequencies of 120 and 130 GHz were chosen: the first one was tested at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 0.4 mW g-1, while the second one was tested at SAR levels of 0.24, 1.4, and 2 mW g-1. Chromosomal damage was evaluated by means of the cytokinesis block micronucleus technique, which also gives information on cell cycle kinetics. Moreover, human whole blood samples exposed to 130 GHz at SAR levels of 1.4 and 2 mW g-1 were also tested for primary DNA damage by applying the alkaline comet assay immediately after exposure. The results obtained indicate that THz exposure, in the explored electromagnetic conditions, is not able to induce either genotoxicity or alteration of cell cycle kinetics in human blood cells from healthy subjects.
Comments
The authors note some alteration to DNA; “a slight increase in comet parameters appears in some cases in exposed samples with respect to sham-exposed ones; however, this difference was not statistically significant.”
Limitations of Study
The authors describe limitations; “several critical points have to be considered, and among them the amplitude modulation and the irradiation modulation condition deserve particular attention”.
References
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Post on Sourcing Strength from Radiation
My initial thought of going through radiotherapy to treat my breast cancer was “yeah I’m so not looking forward to grappling with the conflict of allowing my body to be bombarded with radiation”. The word radiation glowed luminous green in my head, and although I hoped that it would kill any remaining rogue cancer cells, I knew that radiation kills people. I’ve seen the extreme photos of Hiroshima where everything turned to ash. The imagery in my head was of my body slowly turning into tiny grey fragments and disintegrating like those Japanese people. Or would my body remain intact until I fell apart one random month into the future? These thoughts crowded my head but I suppressed them.
I didn’t know how I’d cope with a daily schedule of turning up every single day, five days a week for five weeks, whilst being pleasant to everyone… everyday. The effects of the chemotherapy hadn’t worn off and I still felt crappy. What I came to realize during those weeks is that besides the most obvious gain – an increase in the odds of living – there were unexpected bonuses that I could take home from the whole experience.
For my cancer type, radiotherapy increases my overall chance of survival by about 10%. I needed to know this before I commenced the treatment. My radiotherapy doctor spent plenty of time in our consultation showing me the results of studies with and without radiotherapy for my type of breast cancer. Perfect! I told him I needed that to help me feel good about the whole thing. For my cancer, this radiotherapy has better outcomes than the chemotherapy I’d just finished. Type of radiation for me? Photons. Photons are light particles so I tried to think of it as light therapy. Light as in life, and NOT that going up to the heavenly light thing.
So the next thing I had to grapple with was whether my heart would be damaged by the radiation because my tumour sat right above my heart, and the therapy involves focusing the radiation on the tumour. Well two things saved my heart from damage. Firstly, the physicist, who designed my ‘more complex’ treatment plan algorithm with the configuration of directions and angles of all the beams across my upper body, did an excellent job by bypassing my heart. I saw the images of my CT scan and the intricate beam patterns over layering the top. He said that I’m not the usual patient (yes I keep hearing that) as no one has ever asked to talk to the physicist before. It’s not that I don’t trust people’s words, it is just that I understand better when things are more tangible and then I feel like I get it then. I wished to see what they are talking about not just hear it from their mouths. He went through the plan report in detail explaining the acronyms and jargon terms for me. And I had questions that only he could answer. Serious questions about radiation that had been bugging me the whole time but I was too scared to know the truth till I was near the end of treatment in case I backed out and didn’t complete it. I’ll get to that soon.
The second heart saving measure relied on remaining perfectly still. I had to hold my breath to push my chest cavity out and drop my heart away from the deadly beams. Perfecting this technique became my goal. Thanks to the staff who reassured me all the way through the process, I began to look forward to holding my breath twelve times each day for the 80 second period it took to radiate me. These long breaths could have been broken into 40 seconds instead but that meant more time taken up. At first I tried to imagine that I was surfing. I envisioned taking a breath before enduring a massive underwater hold down but this backfired because the reality of a surfing hold down is that if you panic you can drown. That scenario was too confronting. Instead, I imagined I was diving down to a deep coral reef on snorkel, which stretched time into 80 seconds. In my mind I could see the anemone fish close by, and high above, the Barracudas circling backlit against the sun. There was also a cheeky green moray eel but not wanting to involve sharks, I soon ran out of new things with this adventure. I then developed a whole string of different walks that I knew well, adding in as much detail as I could. (One of these is a childhood walk or rather run you can read about in my memoir story Freedom Creek). Using this visual imagery relaxed me, and kept my heart rate down, and allowed me to hold my breath for the duration of the walk, sometimes with air to spare. Later, practiced this in the spa at home, and made sure I used my method of taking up the air slowly and ‘locking the chest’ compartment while I held onto the bottom of the pool. I then practiced this while body surfing and then when my skin became strong again, I could do it whilst surfing. I even taught me daughter my technique so she has more confidence surfing. I wasn’t expecting that!
Another bonus I didn’t expect was becoming comfy in my own skin…without boobs…fast. I thought I had come to terms with losing the ‘girls’ but actually I hadn’t. My mind was still catching up with the reality of the surgery that removed a part of my femininity. At the time all I could think was that the boobs were bombs implanted inside me which needed defusing by removal before they exploded and sent me to oblivion. Due to my skin feeling too sensitive during the radiotherapy treatment I couldn’t wear any restrictive clothing like bras or synthetic materials. At first I felt resentful that I couldn’t wear my padded bras and feel normal after all I had been through. My boobs had come off nine months earlier and I no longer had any cleavage, I had a flat pre-prepubescent chest. I ended up wearing skimpy tops like halter necks with no padded bra for boobs. It was summer and it was hot. Before long I felt normal and attractive again in my attire thanks to being forced to go without the fake boobs day in and day out during the treatment. I worked out that if I chose the right top such as a gathered style at the front, then I looked sexier than some of my old outfits with the padded bra. Now six months on I remain equally comfortable wearing or not wearing cleavage. Without undergoing the radiotherapy I doubt I could have reached this mindset so fast.
As it turned out, in the end I didn’t have to worry about coping with the daily radiotherapy treatment session. I looked forward to seeing the staff who looked after me, and I enjoyed great conversations with everyone from the manager to the radiologists to the nurses, the other patients, and even their partners. One time my daughter came with me and the ladies were happy to show her everything and let her check out what they did with the machine behind the window. I asked if she could take a photo of the screen on the machine, which was great because only then could I actually see my heart dropped back in the cavity with my breath holding technique in action. These people are a special type to care for us when we are at our most vulnerable and I am so grateful to them for their warmth and the humanness that they gave me.
Towards the end of the five week treatment, I was walking past the wooden book swap cupboard in our neighborhood, and as I peered in I found the book ‘Shockwave Countdown to Hiroshima’ by Stephen Walker. I took it but I couldn’t start reading it for a while. Then I couldn’t put it down. Some of the assumptions I had about Hiroshima were wrong. Hundreds of thousands of people perished, but miraculously, some survived. The author interviewed a handful of Hiroshima survivors who were healthy, even though they were relatively close to the T-shaped target Aioi bridge where the bomb known as ‘Little Boy’ landed two hundred meters away. The bridge itself survived. Not everyone who survived suffered a long term decline from radiation sickness. Today, radiation is being used to save lives. My body and my life may have been saved thanks to a technological breakthrough that wreaked horror in 1945.
Now to that serious question for the Physicist. Yes the physicist not the physican. How does the photon ray bombardment compare with the rays that victims experienced in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? What I really wanted to know is if the long term side effects would be the same. Photons used in radiotherapy treatment are non-ionizing radiation and have less energy than ionizing nuclear reaction radiation. The rays passed right through my body rather than linger. On the back of my shoulder there is a dark patch of skin where the rays exited my body away from my organs and bones. This is amazing technology. My bones should be quite intact and my heart has been protected. I wondered about my circulating blood being irradiated but I suppose as it keeps moving, and cells keep turning over then it should be fine too.
So I have no regrets about going through this treatment. My concerns and fear were replaced with good things. I’m glad I asked the questions about the treatment, but I should not have been such a chicken and asked them way earlier.
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An abridged version of this story is published on the Icon Cancer Centre website.
If you wish to read other stories of sourcing strength, have a look at Story 1 How my ancestors gave me strength and Story 2 The Summit Run and Story 3 The Summit Run, closing the loop.
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A trip in January to the high country again and I felt like I kind of hit Ctrl + F5 and refreshed the page in amongst the granite mountains.
“Soon I’ll be back in the strong powerful granite lands with my body intact and pretty much back to normal with another smile like the one in my photo”.
Those were my words I wrote in story 2 of Sourcing Strength entitled The Summit Run, and yes I am happy to say those thoughts turned into reality.
The January before this in 2018, I had been diagnosed with a rare type of breast cancer but for some reason I felt I’d be alright with this. I decided to kick back for the year like I had a broken leg and extreme morning sickness and then after twelve months I’d be back to normal, or at least mostly normal. So now after that heavy duty year and constant running to keep my stamina levels up, I managed to make it to the top of Australia again to close that loop.
Sure, I didn’t run the 22 km this time but that’s partly because I learnt some difficult lessons during the year. One of them is about the hated words of “listen to your body”. Gees did I hate that line. People spewed it on me all the time, mostly wise health care people. And did I suffer when I ignored them!
Nor did I reach the summit solo. The main photo shows me and my husband on top of Mt Kosciuszko which is symbolic really as he helped me so so much during the year. Our kids reached the summit too. They gave me strength throughout the year in a myriad of ways so it felt right that we all ascended the mountain this year together as one.
So many people within my life strengthened me up and if you are one of them, you too are in that photo standing with me up top of Mt Kosciuszko. Quite often, the tiniest action or few words from someone (that probably they were not even conscious of) translated into giving me a kind of power that fueled me along just at the right time. My ancestors gave me strength too and you can read how in my Story 1 How my ancestors gave me strength– Sourcing Strength.
The granite lands imbued their energetic vibe into me once again and I selected another small piece of rock to take home with me in case I feel the need for a booster during this next year. When looking at my new second rock, it feels great because it reminds me that I really have completed that past year, it is over and I managed to do it just how I had planned to. These happy reminders happen at unexpected moments. For instance, the other day while waiting for our kids to arrive home on the school bus, I was chatting to a neighbor.
He asked, “So how is all the cancer stuff going?”
I said, “What cancer stuff? That was last year”.
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Stories in this series of Sourcing Strength are; The Summit Run and The Summit Run, Closing the Loop.
You can read more stories in my series about Encounters with Wild Animals such as a Great White Shark, horses, snakes, whales, rock possums, bull buffalo and spiders
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I’m searching for a hint of falseness. The more I can’t find any, the more energy I’m imbued with. Even though I’m standing atop Mount Kosciuszko, feeling happy might seem odd given the life changer spanner sent my way the day before. Looking at my face in the photo of me standing on top of Australia reassures me. I look at this photo on my phone and zoom in with my fingers to scrutinise my expression some more. Yes, I really do look happy.
Picking up my speckled granite rock, an ancient stone chip created in explosive volcanic times, I slot it into my cupped hand as if slipping it into an envelope. I feel power and strength transmitted to me as I do this. It strengthens my psyche and empowers my flesh. In my mind I think about the overall deep seated knowledge that I WILL be the same as I was that day on top of the highest mountain in Australia nearly a year ago.
Two years ago, I picked up that rock chip from the side of the road close to the summit, and kept it near the front door in among’st a stack of other colourful pieces I’ve collected from here and there. I didn’t know then how important it would be to me in the future but I remember carefully selecting a rock that had a shape that felt easy in the hand. After that summit run last January, it has been my micro generator throughout the year when I’ve often needed a mental kick start. A reminder that my body will be okay and I’ll still be able to run and do everything I did before, even though my body has been ravished by surgery and chemotherapy. I WILL be the same. Maybe even better…somehow.
The granite is part of the main range where Mount Kosciuszko sits high up over the blue land far around. Several years ago, in a shallow valley to the north-east of the summit, I walked alone between the snow drifts. There were shallow peat pools and a ground cover of soft pale grey green snow grass. As I walked close to a jagged black rock tor that towered over me, I heard a roaring sound like that of a jet flying overhead. It reminded me of the earthquake I experienced in the Kimberleys in remote Western Australia which sounded like about eight jumbo jets. The loud rumbling sound penetrated the air and a sort of shimmer wave moved past me and wooshed away across the alpine valley. Looking around, there was no wind moving the white paper daisies or the snow grass. No jets in the electric blue sky, nothing. All I know was what I felt and heard, and I can only describe it as perhaps a spirit or some type of energy I had flushed from the tor. No malevolence, just kind of it.
In January this year, as I ran over that solid and dark, speckled ground to the summit I felt a great sense of power in the land. I thought about the energy spirit thing that ‘resides’ a few hundred metres from where I ran. The day before, I had phoned my doctor for the results of a biopsy test and he told me that I had breast cancer. Four days of preparation in my head helped me prior to hearing this news. I had rationalized stuff. The twenty two kilometre run solidified my rationalizations. I did feel good.
I was grounding myself to the earth with every step. I was confident then in returning to my normal self after the year of treatment. I have been confident during the year of surgery and treatment with a little help from my speckled rock and from strong human support that I have been so lucky to have gained. I am still confident. I trust my knowing myself. Soon I’ll be back in the strong powerful granite lands with my body intact and pretty much back to normal with another smile like the one in my photo.
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If you’d like to find out how it felt when I returned to the high country, read Story 3 Summit Run-Closing the Loop -2 min read.
Other stories in this series of Sourcing Strength are; The Summit Run and The Summit Run, Closing the Loop.
You can read more stories in my series about Encounters with Wild Animals such as a Great White Shark, horses, snakes, whales, rock possums, bull buffalo and spiders
If you’d like to have my next post sent directly to you, just pop your email address into the subscription box.
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Last month I knew I had to do something. May 1st was on its way. That day I would be doing something I truly feared. The fear is from not knowing if I am doing the right thing. I knew that if I went through with it then I alone would be responsible for the consequences. If I choose this I would allow my body and brain to cop a heavy hit of cell-destroying drugs. These drugs have a low probability of working on my rare subtype of breast cancer but maybe, just maybe they will save my life. The drugs may have irreversible side effects including serious cognitive impairment. This scares me the most. I know that these drugs may prevent secondary cancer that I may not even have right now, or later on in the future. I feel like there is nothing rogue left in me. No bad cells anywhere. Do I put my body through this and come out the other side a zombie? Or do I not go through with it and maybe regret my decision because I die young from a cancer that spread? So this is the fear.
I cannot reconcile my fear in my head. Usually I am good at doing that but for this I can’t, not yet. I needed something additional to give me some strength. Already I have been overwhelmed by support from friends, family, acquaintances and strangers but I am greedy. I reached beyond the living to the dead. I gathered up strength from my ancestors to go through the third nasty infusion of chemotherapy drugs. Two weeks before the horrible day, I asked my mum for her father’s old Masonic ring. The next week she gave it me.
Same goes for my other ancestors. I wished to suck up some of their strength.
On May 1st 2018, I dressed and slipped onto my fingers, my grandfather’s ring from my mum’s side of the family and my grandmother’s ring from my dad’s side who, with her husband I never knew. I wore my wedding ring and gained my husband’s strength and I wore a ring from his grandmother who I was very close to. I also wore a ring I had made at school for myself to remind me not to forget my own inner strength. None of these rings are full of jewels and they are not valuable in terms of money but to me they are priceless. To touch and handle items my ancestors wore, particularly those I never met, helps makes these people real and tangible to me.
As I settled into the passenger seat of mum’s car to go to the hospital, mum presented me with her mother’s beautiful Dux award from school. She told me she would wear this around her neck with a piece of string during exams for good luck. This took me by surprise. It made me feel complete. I loved my Nan and now I had something from her. I thanked mum and told her I didn’t need to wear jewelry she had given me because I had what was better and that is the real thing, her, by my side. I now had all my families with me now and I felt ready to face my fears.
I feel lucky to have strong ancestors.
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Other stories in this series of Sourcing Strength are; The Summit Run and The Summit Run, Closing the Loop.
You can read more stories in my series about Encounters with Wild Animals such as a Great White Shark, horses, snakes, whales, rock possums, bull buffalo and spiders
If you’d like to have my next post sent directly to you, just pop your email address into the subscription box.
Feel free to let me know what your think of this post in the comment box below.
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