Eleanor R. Adair

Eleanor Reed Adair (November 11, 1926 – April 20, 2013)[1] was an American physiologist who studied the effects of electromagnetic radiation on humans. She is best known for performing the first human studies demonstrating the safety of microwave radiation.

Eleanor Reed Adair
Born
Eleanor Campbell Reed

(1926-11-11)November 11, 1926
Arlington, Massachusetts
DiedApril 20, 2013(2013-04-20) (aged 86)
Hamden, Connecticut
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMount Holyoke College (B.A.)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D.)
Known forProponent of microwave radiation safety.
Spouse(s)Robert K. Adair
ChildrenTwo
Scientific career
FieldsPhysiology
InstitutionsJohn B. Pierce Laboratory
Air Force Research Laboratory

Personal life

Adair was born on November 28, 1926, in Arlington, Massachusetts. Adair received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College in 1948. Adair married Robert K. Adair, a physicist, in 1952. In 1955, she obtained her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She received her Ph.D. in a combination of two fields: sensory psychology and physics.[2]

Scientific work

Starting in the 1970s, Adair conducted physiology studies as a fellow at the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven to learn how humans and animals react to heat. This work led her to focus on the controversial area of microwaves and their effect on human health.[1] Experimenting first on squirrel monkeys and then on human volunteers, she concluded that microwave radiation from microwave ovens, cells phones, and power lines is harmless to humans and animals.[2]

In 1996, she joined the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, as a senior scientist studying electromagnetic radiation effects.[3]

Awards and honors

Adair was a fellow of several scientific societies, including the Bioelectromagnetics Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). She served as the secretary-treasure of the former. Adair chaired several IEEE committees, including the Committee on Man and Radiation and the Standards Coordinating Committee. She was a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement Committee.[3]

In 2007 she was awarded the D'Arsonval Award for Bioelectromagnetics by the Bioelectromagnetics Society.[4]

Death

Adair passed away in 2013 due to complications from a stroke.[1]

References
  1. Yardley, William (5 May 2013). "Eleanor R. Adair, Microwave Proponent, Dies at 86". New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  2. Kolata, Gina (16 January 2001). "A Conversation With: Eleanor R. Adair; Tuning in to the microwave frequency". New York Times. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  3. Adair, Eleanor (2001). "Electromagnetic Fields: Think Benefits, Not Hazards" (PDF).
  4. Greenbaum, Ben. Eleanor R. Adair: 2007 D'Arsonval Award recipient. BioElectroMagnetics, Volume 29, Issue 8, page 585, December 2008
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