Electromagnetic Fields Pose Biohazard Risks

Two recent studies on the effect of electromagnetic fields on animals found that low-level magnetic fields caused damage to the DNA in rat brain cells while exposure of rats to extreme electromagnetic fields caused the animals to produce toxic amounts of ozone.

Investigators at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) found that rats exposed to a 60-hertz field for 24 hours showed a significant increase in DNA single and double strand breaks in their brain cells. Prolonging the exposure to 48 hours caused a larger increase, indicating that the effect was cumulative. Most household appliances--hair dryers, razors, electric blankets, ovens, coffee makers, and clocks--emit a 60-hertz field.

Further experiments showed that treatment with Trolox (a vitamin E analog) or 7-nitroindazole (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) blocked magnetic field-induced DNA strand breaks, suggesting that induction of free radicals was at least partially responsible for causing DNA damage. Treatment with the iron-chelator deferiprone also blocked the effects of the magnetic field on brain cell DNA, implying the involvement of iron. These findings were published in the January 26, 2004, online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.


Senior author Dr. Narendra Singh, professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington commented, "People should do what they can to limit their exposure to as little as possible, especially in relation to electrical appliances that are used very close to the body.”
Extremely strong electromagnetic fields are also detrimental to the health of animals. Investigators at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, WA, USA; www.pnl.gov) exposed male rats to a corona discharge and measured the concentration of ozone produced. They reported in the February 2004 issue of Bioelectromagnetics that the resulting concentration of ozone ranged from ambient levels to 250 ppb when animals were located 1 cm from a 10 kV source. This high concentration is double the amount considered toxic at chronic exposure in human beings.

"All this time, we were looking in the wrong place,” said first author Dr. Steven Goheen, a researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "We had been looking inside animals for an effect from the electromagnetic fields. Now it appears that the danger is in the air surrounding animals that are near a large electromagnetic field.”



Related Links:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
University of Washington