Electromagnetic field exposure (50 Hz) impairs response to noxious heat in American cockroach.
Maliszewska J, Marciniak P, Kletkiewicz H, Wyszkowska J, Nowakowska A, Rogalska J. · 2018
View Original AbstractPower-frequency magnetic fields impaired cockroaches' ability to escape danger and caused cellular stress within 24 hours of exposure.
Plain English Summary
Cockroaches exposed to 50 Hz magnetic fields (household power frequency) showed slower reactions to dangerous heat and developed cellular damage markers. The study suggests power-line frequency EMFs can impair nervous system responses to threats while causing biological stress.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that power-frequency magnetic fields can disrupt basic neurological functions, even in simple organisms. The 7 milliTesla exposure level used here is much higher than typical household exposures (which range from 0.01 to 1 milliTesla near appliances), but the fact that effects appeared within just 24 hours is significant. The combination of impaired threat detection and oxidative stress markers suggests EMF exposure creates a double burden: it both damages cells and reduces the organism's ability to respond to danger. While we can't directly extrapolate from cockroaches to humans, this research adds to a growing body of evidence showing that EMF exposure affects nervous system function across species. The reality is that power-frequency fields are everywhere in our modern environment, and studies like this demonstrate they're not the benign background radiation regulators claim them to be.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 7 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 24, 72 h and 7 days
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 examine whether exposure of cockroaches to a 50 Hz magnetic field influences the escape latency from noxious heat and alters oxidative stress related parameters.
In this study, we evaluated the effect of EMF exposure (50 Hz, 7 mT) on cockroach's response to noxi...
Our results showed that exposure to EMF for 24, 72 h and 7 days significantly increases the latency ...
These results demonstrate that EMF exposure is a considerable stress factor that affects oxidative state and heat perception in American cockroach.
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2018_electromagnetic_field_exposure_50_417,
author = {Maliszewska J and Marciniak P and Kletkiewicz H and Wyszkowska J and Nowakowska A and Rogalska J.},
title = {Electromagnetic field exposure (50 Hz) impairs response to noxious heat in American cockroach.},
year = {2018},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29721708/},
}