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Cellular Effects

Effects of static magnetic fields on the growth of various types of human cells.

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Sullivan K, Balin AK, Allen RG · 2011

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A static magnetic field significantly decreased fibroblast attachment and growth, inhibited melanoma cell growth by 20% on day 7, and produced no effects in a human adult stem cell line.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers determined the effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) on the proliferation of various types of human cells. SMF significantly decreased the initial attachment of fibroblasts and their subsequent growth, with effects observed in both fetal lung (WI-38) and adult skin fibroblast lines. SMF inhibited melanoma cell growth by 20% on day 7, but did not affect melanoma cell attachment. Oxidant production increased 37% in WI-38 cells exposed to SMF during the first 18 hours after seeding, but no elevation in oxidant levels was observed after a prolonged 5-day exposure.

Why This Matters

The magnetic field was generated by placing two oppositely oriented magnets on either side of a T25 flask, with a flux density inside the flask ranging from 35 to 120 mT. All cell cultures were kept at 37 °C throughout the experiment. Cell growth was tracked by counting cell numbers at 18 hours and at 4, 7, 11, and 14 days after seeding, with the 18-hour point used as a measure of attachment efficiency. The effects on fibroblasts were generally larger in the fetal lung fibroblast line than in the adult skin fibroblast line. The researchers concluded that SMF has significant biological effects in some, but not all types of human cells.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
35 to 120 mT

Exposure Context

This study used 35 to 120 mT 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 ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 35 to 120 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)This level is 175 times the FCC limit

Study Details

The effects of a static magnetic field (SMF) on the proliferation of various types of human cells were determined.

All cultures were maintained at 37 °C throughout the experiment. SMF was generated by placing two ma...

Exposure to SMF significantly decreased initial attachment of fibroblasts and decreased subsequent g...

These results indicate that exposure to SMF has significant biological effects in some, but not all types of human cells.

Cite This Study
Sullivan K, Balin AK, Allen RG (2011). Effects of static magnetic fields on the growth of various types of human cells. . Bioelectromagnetics. 32(2):140-147, 2011.
Show BibTeX
@article{k_2011_effects_of_static_magnetic_467,
  author = {Sullivan K and Balin AK and Allen RG},
  title = {Effects of static magnetic fields on the growth of various types of human cells.},
  year = {2011},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.20624},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.20624},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.20624

Cited By (55 papers)

View all 55 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

The study examined fetal lung fibroblasts, adult skin fibroblasts, human melanoma cells, and a human adult stem cell line.
SMF did not affect the attachment of melanoma cells, but inhibited their growth by 20% on day 7.
Oxidant production increased 37% in WI-38 cells exposed to SMF during the first 18 hours after seeding, when cell attachment occurs. No elevation in oxidant levels was observed after a prolonged 5-day exposure.
The results indicate that SMF has significant biological effects in some, but not all types of human cells.
The flux density inside the flask ranged from 35 to 120 mT, and oxidant measurements in WI-38 cells were taken at an exposure of 230 to 250 mT.