# REV-023 — Pall’s proposal for effects beyond superficial millimetre-wave absorption

Collection: Reviews & proposed mechanisms (not an original experiment)

Id: REV-023

Heading: Pall’s proposal for effects beyond superficial millimetre-wave absorption

Doi: 10.1515/reveh-2020-0165

Title: Millimeter (MM) wave and microwave frequency radiation produce deeply penetrating effects: the biology and the physics

Authors: Martin L Pall

Author: Pall

Date: 2021-05-26

Kind: Proposed mechanism

Why: This paper addresses a question readers often ask about newer wireless bands: can a superficial exposure have effects elsewhere in the body?

Scope: Reviews reports of millimetre-wave and microwave biological responses and proposes explanations involving magnetic-field interactions, induction and voltage-gated calcium channels. First online 2021; print issue 2022.

Summary: Pall interprets reported neurological and other internal responses as evidence requiring an explanation beyond superficial electric-field absorption, proposing direct and indirect effects involving channel voltage sensors.

Limitations: The proposed penetration mechanism is contested in published correspondence. This guide does not treat it as established electrodynamics or evidence that modern 5G signals penetrate deeply in the manner proposed. Original experiments have varied therapeutic, laboratory and exposure contexts.

Topics: Calcium signalling; Neurological effects; 5G research gaps

Exposures: Millimetre waves; Microwaves; Modulated wireless signals

Journal: Reviews on environmental health

Links: https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2020-0165; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34043892/

Access Label: Abstract checked

Source Check: Primary PubMed/Europe PMC metadata and abstract checked; full article not assessed. Linked notice records checked on 21 October 2026.

Notices: Published comments question the physical mechanism, and Pall published a response. This is a continuing scientific disagreement; link to the complete exchange when considering the proposal.

Notice Urls: https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0090; https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0086; https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0180; https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0125

Citation: Martin L Pall. Millimeter (MM) wave and microwave frequency radiation produce deeply penetrating effects: the biology and the physics. Reviews on environmental health. 2021. doi:10.1515/reveh-2020-0165.

Related Studies: RF-020; RF-034; WEB-055; RF-010; RF-011

Url: /reviews/rev-023/

Year: 2021

Record Type: review_or_mechanism

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2020-0165