Comments on "Nonthermal effects of extremely high-frequency microwaves on chromatin conformation in cells in vitro-dependence on physical, physiological, and genetic factors" [comment and reply]

As long-time workers on development of microwave safe-exposure standards, we are keenly aware of the deficient quality in many of the papers in the bioeffect literature, particularly those relating to microwave artifacts. In the November 2000 issue of this Transactions there are many good papers but there are also papers displaying deficiencies. We are not able to review all such deficiencies, but we restrict our comments here to the above paper [see ibid., vol. 44, no. 11, p. 2172-9, 2000], which makes the extraordinary claim of a significant microwave bioeffect at an incident power density of 10/sup -19/ W/cm/sup 2/, well below that of thermal noise in a bandwidth of practical significance. A reply is included.