The 50 Hz (10 mT) sinusoidal magnetic field: effects on stress-related behavior of rats.
Korpinar MA, Kalkan MT, Tuncel H. · 2012
View Original AbstractThis study shows that 21-day exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields significantly increases anxiety-like behavior in rats at levels higher than typical home exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to 50 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) at 10 milliTesla for 21 days and measured their behavior using standard anxiety tests. The exposed rats showed significantly more anxiety and stress-related behaviors, spending much less time in open, exposed areas compared to unexposed rats. This suggests that prolonged exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields may increase anxiety levels.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how power-frequency magnetic fields affect brain function and behavior. The 10 milliTesla exposure level used here is extremely high compared to typical household exposures, which usually range from 0.1 to 1 milliTesla near appliances. However, the finding that magnetic fields can alter stress responses and anxiety levels is significant because it demonstrates measurable neurological effects from EMF exposure. The research used well-established behavioral tests that are standard in neuroscience research, lending credibility to the results. What this means for you is that even non-thermal EMF exposures can influence brain chemistry and behavior patterns, supporting the growing body of evidence that EMFs affect nervous system function beyond just heating tissue.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 10 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 21 days
Exposure Context
This study used 10 mG for magnetic fields:
- 500Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 100Kx 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 purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral changes induced by 50 Hz, 10 mT flux density Sinusoidal Magnetic Field (MF).
Seventy-six young adult male Wistar albino rats were used in the study. They were separated into two...
In the hole-board system parameters there were no statistically significant differences between the ...
Our results suggest that after 21 days, a continuous exposure to extremely low frequency of magnetic field (50 Hz, 10 mT) has no significant effect on activity and exploration activity but significantly induces stress and anxiety-related behavior in rats.
Show BibTeX
@article{ma_2012_the_50_hz_10_268,
author = {Korpinar MA and Kalkan MT and Tuncel H. },
title = {The 50 Hz (10 mT) sinusoidal magnetic field: effects on stress-related behavior of rats.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-50-Hz-%2810-mT%29-sinusoidal-magnetic-field%3A-on-of-Korpinar-Kalkan/45271d91a062a5954840c46220af8cf4da99ebd2?p2df},
}