Neuronal Cellular Responses to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure: Implications Regarding Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration.
Reale M, Kamal MA, Patruno A, Costantini E, D'Angelo C, Pesce M, Greig NH. · 2014
View Original AbstractBrain cells exposed to power-line frequency magnetic fields showed oxidative stress and weakened defenses against cellular damage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human brain cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields from household electricity and found they triggered harmful oxidative stress. The cells' natural defenses initially compensated, but failed when combined with other stressors, suggesting everyday EMF exposure may increase brain vulnerability to damage.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to concerns about extremely low frequency EMF exposure and brain health. The researchers used 1 milliTesla magnetic fields - that's roughly 1,000 times stronger than typical household exposures, but similar to what you might encounter very close to high-voltage power lines or certain electrical equipment. What makes this research particularly significant is that it demonstrates a clear biological mechanism: ELF-EMF exposure triggers oxidative stress in brain cells, the same destructive process implicated in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The finding that cells lose their ability to cope when facing multiple stressors simultaneously is especially concerning, as it suggests that even lower-level chronic exposures might contribute to brain aging in vulnerable populations. While we need more research to fully understand the implications for human health, this study provides biological plausibility for the epidemiological associations between EMF exposure and neurological problems that have been observed in population studies.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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
The aim of this study is to observe Neuronal Cellular Responses to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure: Implications Regarding Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration.
We hence evaluated the effects of an electromagnetic wave (magnetic field intensity 1mT; frequency, ...
ELF-EMF exposure elevated the expession of NOS and O2−, which were countered by compensatory changes...
Together these studies support the further evaluation of ELF-EMF exposure in cellular and in vivo preclinical models to define mechanisms potentially impacted in humans.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2014_neuronal_cellular_responses_to_700,
author = {Reale M and Kamal MA and Patruno A and Costantini E and D'Angelo C and Pesce M and Greig NH.},
title = {Neuronal Cellular Responses to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure: Implications Regarding Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration.},
year = {2014},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0104973},
}