Exposure to ELF magnetic fields modulate redox related protein expression in mouse macrophages.
Frahm J, Mattsson MO, Simkó M. · 2010
View Original AbstractMagnetic fields at 1.0 mT triggered immune cell activation and oxidative stress, demonstrating biological effects at levels encountered in some occupational settings.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mouse immune cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields and found the exposure triggered cellular stress responses and increased harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species. This suggests magnetic fields can activate immune cells and disrupt normal cellular processes even without killing cells.
Why This Matters
This research provides important mechanistic evidence for how extremely low frequency magnetic fields interact with immune cells at the molecular level. The 1.0 mT exposure used here is roughly 1,000 times stronger than typical household magnetic field levels (which range from 0.5-4 milligauss or 0.05-0.4 microtesla), but it's within the range of occupational exposures for electrical workers or people living very close to power lines. What makes this study significant is that it identifies specific biological pathways through which magnetic fields can affect cellular function. The researchers found that magnetic field exposure triggers oxidative stress and alters protein expression in ways that differ from chemical toxins, suggesting magnetic fields have their own unique biological signature. The reality is that this adds to a growing body of evidence showing magnetic fields can influence cellular processes even when they don't immediately kill cells or cause obvious tissue damage.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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 present evidence that exposure of mouse macrophages to 50 Hz, 1.0 mT MF lead to immune cell activation seen as increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and also to modulation on the expression level of important proteins acting in redox regulatory processes and thus explaining the noted changes in ROS levels seen after exposure.
The MF exposure caused slight and transient decreases after short term exposures (2 h or less) of cl...
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2010_exposure_to_elf_magnetic_368,
author = {Frahm J and Mattsson MO and Simkó M.},
title = {Exposure to ELF magnetic fields modulate redox related protein expression in mouse macrophages.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378427409015197},
}