Magnetic field-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae
Pandir D, Sahingoz R · 2014
View Original AbstractStrong magnetic fields caused DNA damage and cellular stress in a dose-dependent manner, confirming biological mechanisms of EMF harm.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed Mediterranean flour moth larvae to extremely strong magnetic fields (1.4 Tesla at 50 Hz) for periods ranging from 3 to 72 hours and found significant DNA damage and oxidative stress. The longer the exposure, the more severe the genetic damage and cellular stress became, as measured by multiple biochemical markers. This study demonstrates that magnetic field exposure can cause measurable biological harm at the cellular level.
Why This Matters
While this study uses magnetic field strengths thousands of times higher than typical household exposures, it provides important mechanistic evidence for how electromagnetic fields can damage DNA and trigger oxidative stress. The 1.4 Tesla field strength is roughly 28,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field and far exceeds everyday EMF exposures, but the biological pathways identified here are relevant to understanding lower-level chronic exposures. The dose-response relationship shown in this research - where longer exposures caused progressively more damage - supports concerns about cumulative EMF effects. What this means for you is that the cellular mechanisms for EMF damage are real and measurable, even if the exposure levels in your daily environment are much lower than those used in this laboratory study.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1400 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h
Exposure Context
This study used 1400 mG for magnetic fields:
- 70Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 14Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
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 Details
The effect of strong magnetic fields (MFs) on DNA damage and oxidative stress on larvae stage of E. kuehniella was assessed.
Antioxidant enzyme systems, which include superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione pe...
MFs caused increasing DNA damage and demonstrated using the comet assay with its parameters includin...
In our investigation, we showed that MFs caused oxidative stress and proved to be DNA damage as revealed by the comet assay. MFs may be used to determine potential toxic effects as a control agent against E. kuehniella larvae.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2014_magnetic_fieldinduced_oxidative_stress_437,
author = {Pandir D and Sahingoz R},
title = {Magnetic field-induced oxidative stress and DNA damage in Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.1007/s10340-013-0521-y},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10340-013-0521-y},
}