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Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on circadian rhythm control in mice.

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Lundberg L, Sienkiewicz Z, Anthony DC, Broom KA. · 2019

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Power-frequency magnetic fields at 580 microtesla showed minimal impact on circadian rhythms in mice, suggesting typical household EMF levels are unlikely to disrupt sleep cycles.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed mice to magnetic fields from power lines during sleep to test effects on their internal body clocks. The magnetic fields caused only minor changes in movement, while light exposure significantly disrupted sleep hormones. Power line magnetic fields don't appear to disrupt circadian rhythms.

Why This Matters

This study addresses an important question about whether the magnetic fields from our electrical infrastructure can disrupt our biological clocks. The 580 microtesla exposure level is quite high - roughly equivalent to what you'd experience standing directly under high-voltage transmission lines, and about 100 times higher than typical household levels. The fact that researchers found minimal circadian effects even at these elevated levels provides some reassurance about everyday EMF exposures from power lines and household wiring. However, this was a single 30-minute exposure in young, healthy mice. What this means for you is that power-frequency magnetic fields at typical environmental levels are unlikely to acutely disrupt your sleep-wake cycle, though longer-term exposures and cumulative effects remain less well studied.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.58 mG
Source/Device
50-Hz
Exposure Duration
30 min starting at zeitgeber time 14 (ZT14, 2 h into the dark period of the day)

Exposure Context

This study used 0.58 mG 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: 0.58 mGExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Slight Concern rangeFCC limit is 3,448x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 50 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 50 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The aim of this study is to observe Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on circadian rhythm control in mice.

To study this possibility, 8-12-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were exposed for 30 min starting at zeit...

Our experiments revealed an acute adrenal response to blue light, in terms of increased adrenal per1...

In conclusion, these results suggest that 50 Hz magnetic fields do not significantly affect the acute light response to a degree that can be detected in the adrenal response

Cite This Study
Lundberg L, Sienkiewicz Z, Anthony DC, Broom KA. (2019). Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on circadian rhythm control in mice. Bioelectromagnetics. 40(4):250-259, 2019.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2019_effects_of_50_hz_678,
  author = {Lundberg L and Sienkiewicz Z and Anthony DC and Broom KA.},
  title = {Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on circadian rhythm control in mice.},
  year = {2019},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30945762/},
}
PubMed: 30945762

Cited By (10 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

No, 50 Hz magnetic fields from power lines don't significantly disrupt circadian rhythms in mice. A 2019 study found these fields caused only minor changes in movement, while light exposure dramatically affected sleep hormones and activity patterns.
50 Hz magnetic fields don't significantly affect adrenal gland responses to light exposure. Research showed blue light dramatically increased stress hormones and adrenal gene expression, but magnetic fields had no modulating effect on these responses.
No, 50 Hz magnetic field exposure doesn't affect cryptochrome gene expression in the brain. The study found no changes in cry1 and cry2 genes in the hippocampus, liver, or adrenal glands after magnetic field exposure.
Light exposure causes dramatic circadian disruption while 50 Hz magnetic fields don't. Blue light significantly increased stress hormones, sleep time, and decreased activity, but power line frequencies showed no comparable circadian effects in mice.
Yes, 50 Hz magnetic fields slightly decreased locomotor activity in mice, but this was the only significant effect found. Unlike light exposure, the magnetic fields didn't affect sleep hormones, gene expression, or other circadian rhythm markers.