Effect of 7 mT static magnetic field and iron ions on rat lymphocytes: apoptosis, necrosis and free radical processes.
Jajte J, Grzegorczyk J, Zmyślony M, Rajkowska E. · 2002
View Original AbstractStatic magnetic fields combined with iron particles caused significant immune cell death, suggesting EMF effects depend on what else is in your body.
Plain English Summary
Polish researchers exposed rat immune cells (lymphocytes) to a 7 milliTesla static magnetic field for 3 hours, both with and without iron particles present. While the magnetic field alone caused no harm, the combination of magnetic field plus iron significantly increased cell death and oxidative damage. This suggests that magnetic fields may become harmful when they interact with metals in our bodies.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a concerning interaction effect that's often overlooked in EMF research. The 7 milliTesla exposure level is roughly 140 times stronger than Earth's natural magnetic field, comparable to what you might encounter very close to powerful magnets or certain medical devices. What makes this research particularly relevant is that iron is naturally present throughout our bodies, especially in blood. The science demonstrates that magnetic fields don't operate in isolation - they can amplify the harmful effects of other substances. This finding challenges the common assumption that static magnetic fields are biologically inert and suggests we need to consider cumulative exposures rather than single-factor effects when assessing EMF safety.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 7 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 3h
Exposure Context
This study used 7 mG for magnetic fields:
- 350Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 70Kx 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
To study whether the oxidative DNA damage caused by simultaneous exposure of rat lymphocytes to a 7 mT static magnetic field and iron ions may lead to cell death: apoptosis or necrosis.
Experiments were performed on rat blood lymphocytes incubated for 3 h in Helmholtz coils at SMF of f...
No significant differences were observed between unexposed lymphocytes incubated with medium alone a...
This suggests that 7 mT static magnetic field in the presence of Fe2+ ions can increase the concentration of oxygen free radicals and thus may lead to cell death.
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2002_effect_of_7_mt_389,
author = {Jajte J and Grzegorczyk J and Zmyślony M and Rajkowska E.},
title = {Effect of 7 mT static magnetic field and iron ions on rat lymphocytes: apoptosis, necrosis and free radical processes.},
year = {2002},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1567539402000592},
}