Oxidative stress and apoptosis in relation to exposure to magnetic field
Emre M, Cetiner S, Zencir S, Unlukurt I, Kahraman I, Topcu Z · 2011
View Original AbstractThirty days of low-level magnetic field exposure increased cellular stress markers in rats, suggesting everyday electrical exposures may trigger biological damage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (1-40 Hz) for one hour daily over 30 days and measured liver damage markers in blood and cell death in tissues. They found increased oxidative stress indicators and changes in cell death patterns, suggesting that even low-level magnetic field exposure can trigger biological stress responses. This matters because these frequency ranges are common around power lines and household electrical systems.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how everyday magnetic field exposures affect cellular health. The researchers used frequencies (1-40 Hz) that mirror what you encounter near power lines, electrical panels, and many household appliances. The finding of increased oxidative stress is particularly significant because this cellular damage process underlies many chronic diseases. What makes this research compelling is that the effects occurred at relatively low exposure levels over just 30 days. The reality is that most of us live with chronic exposure to these same frequencies, often at similar or higher intensities, throughout our lives. While the study was conducted on rats, the biological mechanisms of oxidative stress are remarkably similar across mammalian species, making these findings relevant to human health concerns.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1.5 mG
- Electric Field
- 0.6 V/m
- Source/Device
- 1–40 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 h/day for 30 days
Exposure Context
This study used 1.5 mG for magnetic fields:
- 75Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 15Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
This study used 0.6 V/m for electric fields:
- 2x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.3 V/m
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 investigated the effect of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) with pulse trains exposure on lipid peroxidation, and, hence, oxidative stress in the rat liver tissue.
The parameters that we measured were the levels of plasma alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminot...
The results showed an increase in the levels of oxidative stress indicators, and the flow cytometric...
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2011_oxidative_stress_and_apoptosis_353,
author = {Emre M and Cetiner S and Zencir S and Unlukurt I and Kahraman I and Topcu Z},
title = {Oxidative stress and apoptosis in relation to exposure to magnetic field},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1007/s12013-010-9113-0},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12013-010-9113-0},
}