# WEB-041 — 28 GHz: measured pain thresholds in human skin

Why this matters
Pain is an outcome people can recognise directly. This experiment measured when intense local millimetre-wave exposure progressed from warmth to pain, and how responses differed between participants. It provides human threshold information under a specific high-exposure protocol.

Id: WEB-041

Author: Yuasa et al.

Full Authors: Akiko Yuasa; Shintaro Uehara; Kazuki Ushizawa; Sachiko Kodera; Akimasa Hirata; Yohei Otaka

Year: 2026

Title: Pain threshold induced by local exposure to millimeter waves on human skin

Journal: Journal of neurophysiology

Citation: Akiko Yuasa; Shintaro Uehara; Kazuki Ushizawa; Sachiko Kodera; Akimasa Hirata; Yohei Otaka. Pain threshold induced by local exposure to millimeter waves on human skin. Journal of neurophysiology. 2026. doi:10.1152/jn.00554.2025.

Doi: 10.1152/jn.00554.2025

Pmid: 42606958

Topic: Human millimetre-wave sensation; Thermal pain thresholds

Verification Group: Original abstract reviewed

Record Role: Original abstract reviewed

Featured: False

Exposure: 28 GHz on the middle fingertip; incident density averaged over 1 cm² of 1.00 W/cm²; up to 10 min, stopped for pain or skin temperature above 44°C.

Design: Thirty-five healthy adults; warmth, heat, tingling and pain perception during controlled local exposure.

Finding: Reported pain threshold temperature was 41.9°C. Women showed greater pain sensitivity than men in this sample.

Statistics: See the original results; effect sizes were not independently recalculated.

Boundary: Original abstract only; high-intensity thermal-sensation experiment. This does not show symptoms from everyday wireless exposure or airport screening, and demographic results need replication.

Related: Same Yuasa/Uehara human-sensation programme as the 2024 warmth-threshold paper; cohort independence not established. Related publication records: WEB-042.

Protection Question: Which exposure conditions reproduce this finding, and what would establish its relevance beyond the experimental model?

Access: Original abstract and bibliographic identity reviewed; full methods, dosimetry and statistics not audited.

Locator: Original abstract

Notice: Linked Europe PMC/PubMed notice fields checked 21 October 2026; no correction/retraction surfaced for this record. Publisher/citation screening is not exhaustive.

Funding: Not established from the retrieved original abstract.

Conflicts: Not established from the retrieved original abstract.

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00554.2025

Retrieval Links: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00554.2025 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42606958/

Verification Date: 2026-10-21

Discovery Id: TARGETED-20261021-14

Technology Tracks: 5g|scanners|millimetre

Technology Connection: Relevant carrier-frequency research; the record distinguishes actual 5G modulation from other laboratory waveforms. High-intensity 28 GHz laboratory threshold research; not measurements of health outcomes in screened passengers or airport staff.

Publication Type: Original journal research

Study Setting: People

Browse Categories: brain