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Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Oxidative Stress

Extremely low frequency magnetic fields do not elicit oxidative stress in MCF10A cells.

No Effects Found

Hong MN, Han NK, Lee HC, Ko YK, Chi SG, Lee YS, Gimm YM, Myung SH, Lee JS. · 2012

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Intense 4-hour magnetic field exposure at 1,000 times typical household levels caused no oxidative stress in breast cells.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed human breast cells to 60 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) for 4 hours to test whether this exposure causes oxidative stress, which is cellular damage from unstable molecules. The magnetic field exposure produced no measurable changes in oxidative stress markers, while radiation exposure used as a positive control did cause significant cellular damage.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 60 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 60 Hz ELF-MF Duration: 4 hours

Study Details

The aim of this study was to determine whether extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) could affect intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and antioxidant enzyme activity.

After MCF10A human breast epithelial cells were exposed to 1 mT of 60 Hz ELF-MF for 4 hours, intrace...

The cells exposed to ELF-MF did not evidence statistically significant changes in the above-mentione...

According to our results, it could be concluded that ELF-MF has no effect on intracellular ROS level, SOD activity, and GSH/GSSG ratio under our exposure condition.

Cite This Study
Hong MN, Han NK, Lee HC, Ko YK, Chi SG, Lee YS, Gimm YM, Myung SH, Lee JS. (2012). Extremely low frequency magnetic fields do not elicit oxidative stress in MCF10A cells. Radiat Res. 53(1):79-86, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{mn_2012_extremely_low_frequency_magnetic_2848,
  author = {Hong MN and Han NK and Lee HC and Ko YK and Chi SG and Lee YS and Gimm YM and Myung SH and Lee JS. },
  title = {Extremely low frequency magnetic fields do not elicit oxidative stress in MCF10A cells.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jrr/53/1/53_11049/_article/-char/ja/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2012 study found that 60 Hz magnetic fields did not cause oxidative damage in human breast cells. Researchers exposed MCF10A cells for 4 hours and found no changes in oxidative stress markers, unlike radiation exposure which caused significant cellular damage.
MCF10A human breast cells showed no stress responses to 60 Hz electromagnetic fields in laboratory testing. The 4-hour exposure produced no measurable changes in antioxidant enzyme activity or cellular damage markers compared to unexposed control cells.
Four-hour exposure to 60 Hz magnetic fields caused no harmful effects in human breast cells according to 2012 research. The study found no changes in reactive oxygen species levels or antioxidant systems, suggesting short-term exposure is not damaging.
Sixty Hz magnetic fields caused no cellular damage while ionizing radiation caused significant harm in the same study. Researchers found magnetic field exposure produced no oxidative stress markers, but radiation exposure clearly damaged cells and triggered aging responses.
Antioxidant enzymes in breast cells remain unchanged when exposed to 60 Hz power frequency electromagnetic fields. The 2012 study found no alterations in superoxide dismutase activity or glutathione ratios after 4-hour magnetic field exposure in MCF10A cells.