Heart rate variability in workers exposed to medium-frequency electromagnetic fields.
Bortkiewicz A, Gadzicka E, Zmyslony M, · 1996
View Original AbstractWorkers exposed to medium-frequency EMFs showed impaired nervous system control over heart function, with higher exposures causing greater disruption.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied 71 broadcast station workers exposed to medium-frequency electromagnetic fields and compared their heart rate variability (a measure of nervous system control over heart rhythm) to 22 unexposed workers. The exposed workers showed impaired nervous system regulation of their cardiovascular function, with higher electromagnetic field intensities correlating with greater disruption. This suggests that occupational EMF exposure may interfere with the body's ability to properly control heart function.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing EMF effects on cardiovascular function. Heart rate variability is a well-established marker of autonomic nervous system health - when it's disrupted, it indicates the nervous system isn't properly regulating heart rhythm, which can increase risk of cardiovascular problems. What makes this research particularly significant is that it found a dose-response relationship: higher EMF intensities correlated with greater disruption. The fact that this occurred in occupational settings, where workers face prolonged daily exposure similar to what many of us experience with our devices and wireless infrastructure, makes these findings directly relevant to public health. While the study doesn't specify exact exposure levels, broadcast station workers typically face EMF intensities well above what most people encounter, yet the biological mechanism demonstrated here - disruption of nervous system control over heart function - could operate at lower exposure levels too.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 0.05–0.15 Hz and 0.15–0.35 Hz
Study Details
This study was undertaken to evaluate the neurovegetative regulation of the heart in workers occupationally exposed to medium frequency (MF) electromagnetic (EM) fields.
The subjects were 71 workers of MF broadcast stations, aged 20–68 (mean 47.1) with the duration of w...
Statistically insignificant differences found between exposed and non-exposed groups were found eith...
Thus it was concluded that occupational exposure to EM fields brings about impairments in the neurovegetative regulation of the cardiovascular function.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_1996_heart_rate_variability_in_1920,
author = {Bortkiewicz A and Gadzicka E and Zmyslony M and},
title = {Heart rate variability in workers exposed to medium-frequency electromagnetic fields.},
year = {1996},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0165183896000094},
}