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17 Jun 2002
The long term effects of terahertz waves on humans are under investigation.
Terahertz waves, between the infra red and microwave regions in the electromagnetic spectrum, show promise in medical and dental imaging and spectroscopy. Human tissue is partially transparent in the terahertz region.
Terahertz waves are non-ionising and probably less dangerous than X-rays. However, as controversy surrounds the use of microwaves in mobile phones, the long term effects of terahertz waves are being examined prior to medical applications.
Researchers at Toshiba Research Europe, in Cambridge, UK, have shown that the waves can provide three-dimensional images of an extracted tooth. The team is in informal discussions with hospitals and dentists about clinical trials.
Don Arnone, who heads the project, explained that the team is investigating the potential effects of terahertz radiation on DNA. The radiation has been handled in research for about 20 years at power levels typical of those encountered in daily life. The difference in the case of terahertz imaging is that the radiation is pulsed rather than continuous.
Different chemicals absorb specific frequencies of terahertz waves so the transmitted radiation acts as a fingerprint. Arnone explained that the technique developed for studying teeth can give resolutions of 0.2 or 0.3 mm. The big challenge for the project is to decrease the time taken to acquire an image, currently 15 or 20 minutes. Arnone believes that this could be reduced to several seconds.
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