Evidence of Oxidative Stress in American Kestrels Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields
Fernie KJ, Bird DM. · 2001
View Original AbstractShort-term EMF exposure was associated with signs of oxidative stress and an immune response in male American kestrels, particularly in the early part of the breeding season.
Plain English Summary
Researchers investigated whether exposure to magnetic and electric fields similar to those from power lines induces an immune response and alters oxidative stress levels in American kestrels. Captive male kestrels were bred under control or EMF conditions equivalent to those experienced by wild kestrels. Short-term EMF exposure suppressed plasma total proteins, hematocrits, and carotenoids in the first half of the breeding season, and also suppressed erythrocyte cells and lymphocyte proportions while elevating granulosa proportions at the end of the breeding season. Long-term EMF exposure may be linked to higher levels of oxidative stress through EMF exposure only, and also suppressed hematocrits in the first half of the reproductive period.
Why This Matters
The study used captive male kestrels kept under either control conditions or EMF conditions equivalent to those experienced by wild kestrels. Short-term exposure lasted one breeding season, while long-term exposure lasted two breeding seasons. The researchers noted that the higher oxidative stress in short-term EMF birds was attributed to an immune response and/or EMF exposure. For birds exposed long-term, the link to oxidative stress was suggested to be through EMF exposure only.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.03 mT
- Electric Field
- 10000 V/m
- Source/Device
- 60 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 23.5 h/day for 91 days
Exposure Context
This study used 10000 V/m for electric fields:
- 33.3Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
This study used 0.03 mT for magnetic fields:
- 1.5Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 300x 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 investigate whether exposure to magnetic fields and electric fields similar to those from power lines induces an immune response and alters oxidative stress levels in American kestrels.
We tested whether EMF exposure elicits an avian immune response and alters oxidative stress levels. ...
Results indicate that only short-term EMF birds experience an immune response, particularly during t...
Show BibTeX
@article{kj_2001_evidence_of_oxidative_stress_364,
author = {Fernie KJ and Bird DM.},
title = {Evidence of Oxidative Stress in American Kestrels Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields},
year = {2001},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001393510194263X},
}