Fifty Hertz electromagnetic field exposure stimulates secretion of β-amyloid peptide in cultured human neuroglioma
Del Giudice E, Facchinetti F, Nofrate V, Boccaccio P, Minelli T, Dam M, Leon A, Moschini G. · 2007
View Original AbstractBrain cells exposed to power-frequency magnetic fields produced more Alzheimer's-associated proteins, suggesting EMF exposure may contribute to neurodegeneration.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human brain cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields from power lines and found they produced more amyloid-beta, the toxic proteins that build up in Alzheimer's disease. This laboratory study suggests electromagnetic field exposure might contribute to brain changes associated with Alzheimer's.
Why This Matters
This research breaks important new ground by directly linking electromagnetic field exposure to amyloid-beta production, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. While the 3.1 milliTesla exposure used in this study is higher than most residential environments (typically 0.01-0.2 mT), it falls within ranges documented near power lines and electrical substations where some people live and work. The science demonstrates that EMF exposure can trigger cellular processes associated with neurodegeneration, adding to growing evidence that our electromagnetic environment may influence brain health. What this means for you is that this study provides biological plausibility for the epidemiological studies linking EMF exposure to neurodegenerative diseases, though more research is needed to establish causation at real-world exposure levels.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 3.1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
Exposure Context
This study used 3.1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 155Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 31Kx 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
We here tested the hypothesis that the exposure to LF-EMF may affect amyloidogenic processes.
We examined the effect of exposure to 3.1 mT 50 Hz LF-EMF on Aβ secretion in H4 neuroglioma cells st...
We found that overnight exposure to LF-EMF induces a significant increase of amyloid-beta peptide (A...
These findings show for the first time that exposure to LF-EMF stimulates Aβ secretion in vitro, thus alluding to a potential link between LF-EMF exposure and APP processing in the brain.
Show BibTeX
@article{e_2007_fifty_hertz_electromagnetic_field_240,
author = {Del Giudice E and Facchinetti F and Nofrate V and Boccaccio P and Minelli T and Dam M and Leon A and Moschini G.},
title = {Fifty Hertz electromagnetic field exposure stimulates secretion of β-amyloid peptide in cultured human neuroglioma},
year = {2007},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304394007002480},
}