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Effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field on the parameters of oxidative stress in heart

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Goraca A, Ciejka E, Piechota A. · 2010

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Doubling EMF exposure time from 30 to 60 minutes daily caused significant heart tissue damage in rats, even at identical field strengths.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to magnetic fields used in medical therapy to test heart effects. Thirty minutes daily caused no harm, but sixty minutes significantly increased cellular damage and reduced natural antioxidants. This shows exposure duration matters more than field strength for heart health.

Why This Matters

This study reveals a crucial dose-response relationship that challenges the 'all or nothing' thinking around EMF exposure. The researchers used field strengths of 7 milliTesla at 40 Hz, which is thousands of times stronger than typical household EMF exposure (usually measured in microTesla). What makes this research particularly valuable is its demonstration that exposure duration can be the tipping point between biological tolerance and measurable harm. The heart tissue showed clear signs of oxidative stress only when exposure time doubled from 30 to 60 minutes daily. This finding supports the growing body of evidence that EMF effects are cumulative and that our bodies may have thresholds for managing electromagnetic stress. While these exposure levels far exceed what you encounter from typical appliances, the principle matters: longer exposure times can push biological systems past their ability to maintain normal function.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
7 mG
Source/Device
40 Hz
Exposure Duration
30 min/day for 14 days

Exposure Context

This study used 7 mG for magnetic fields:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 7 mGExtreme Concern5 mGFCC Limit2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 286x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

The present study was designated to assess if ELF-MF applied in the magnetotherapy, affects generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in heart tissue and antioxidant capacity of plasma according to its working time.

The experiments were performed on 3 groups of animals: group I - control; group II - exposed to 40 H...

Exposure to ELF-MF (40 Hz, 7 mT, 30 min/day for 2 weeks) did not significantly alter tissue TBARS, H...

Our results indicate that effects of ELF-MF on ROS generation in the heart tissue and antioxidant capacity of plasma depend on its working time.

Cite This Study
Goraca A, Ciejka E, Piechota A. (2010). Effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field on the parameters of oxidative stress in heart J Physiol Pharmacol. 61(3):333-338, 2010.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2010_effects_of_extremely_low_379,
  author = {Goraca A and Ciejka E and Piechota A.},
  title = {Effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field on the parameters of oxidative stress in heart},
  year = {2010},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20610864/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to magnetic fields used in medical therapy to test heart effects. Thirty minutes daily caused no harm, but sixty minutes significantly increased cellular damage and reduced natural antioxidants. This shows exposure duration matters more than field strength for heart health.