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Protective properties of Myrtus communis extract against oxidative effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on rat plasma and hemoglobin.

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Seif F, Bayatiani MR, Ansarihadipour H, Habibi G, Sadelaji S · 2018

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One month of magnetic field exposure damaged blood proteins and antioxidant systems in rats, effects that were preventable with plant compounds.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to magnetic fields from power lines for 2 hours daily over a month, finding significant blood damage and reduced antioxidant defenses. Myrtle plant extract prevented these harmful effects, suggesting magnetic field exposure causes oxidative stress but natural compounds may offer protection.

Why This Matters

This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that ELF magnetic fields can trigger oxidative stress at the cellular level. The 0.7 mT exposure level used here is actually quite moderate - comparable to what you might experience standing directly under high-voltage power lines, though higher than typical household exposures (which range from 0.01-0.2 mT). What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates measurable biochemical changes in blood components after just one month of exposure. The fact that a plant extract could prevent these effects suggests the damage is indeed caused by oxidative stress, a mechanism that's been proposed in numerous EMF studies. While this doesn't prove that everyday magnetic field exposure causes health problems in humans, it does show that biological systems can be affected by these fields in ways that could potentially impact health over time.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.7 mG
Source/Device
50 Hz
Exposure Duration
2 hours a day for 1 month

Exposure Context

This study used 0.7 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: 0.7 mGExtreme Concern5 mGFCC Limit2,000 mGEffects observed in the Slight Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 2,857x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

This study investigates the protective properties of Myrtus communis extract against the oxidative effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELFMF). Also, this study is aimed to analyze the conformational changes of hemoglobin, oxidative damages to plasma proteins and antioxidant power of plasma following exposure to ELFMF.

Adult male rats were divided into 3 groups: (1) control, (2) ELFMF exposure, and (3) ELFMF exposure ...

Exposure to ELFMF decreased the FRAP which was in concomitant with a significant increase in plasma ...

Myrtus communis extract enhances the ability of erythrocytes and plasma to deal with oxidative conditions during exposure to ELFMF. Also, ANN analysis can predict the most important parameters in relation to Hb structure during oxidative stress.

Cite This Study
Seif F, Bayatiani MR, Ansarihadipour H, Habibi G, Sadelaji S (2018). Protective properties of Myrtus communis extract against oxidative effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on rat plasma and hemoglobin. Int J Radiat Biol. 2018 Nov 29:1-22. doi: 10.1080/09553002.2019.1542182.
Show BibTeX
@article{f_2018_protective_properties_of_myrtus_457,
  author = {Seif F and Bayatiani MR and Ansarihadipour H and Habibi G and Sadelaji S},
  title = {Protective properties of Myrtus communis extract against oxidative effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on rat plasma and hemoglobin.},
  year = {2018},
  doi = {10.1080/09553002.2019.1542182},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09553002.2019.1542182},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed rats to magnetic fields from power lines for 2 hours daily over a month, finding significant blood damage and reduced antioxidant defenses. Myrtle plant extract prevented these harmful effects, suggesting magnetic field exposure causes oxidative stress but natural compounds may offer protection.