Effects of sinusoidal electromagnetic fields on histopathology and structures of brains of preincubated white leghorn chicken embryos
Lahijani MS, Bigdeli MR, Kalantary S. · 2011
View Original AbstractBrief electromagnetic field exposure before development caused lasting brain damage in chicken embryos, suggesting developing nervous systems are especially vulnerable.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed chicken eggs to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields (like those from power lines) for 24 hours before incubation, then examined the developing embryos' brains after 14 days. The exposed embryos showed significant brain damage, including increased cell death (apoptosis) and tissue degeneration. This study demonstrates that even brief pre-development exposure to common electromagnetic frequencies can cause measurable harm to the developing nervous system.
Why This Matters
This research adds important evidence to our understanding of EMF effects on developing brains. The 50 Hz frequency used matches exactly what comes from power lines and household electrical systems, making these findings directly relevant to human exposure concerns. What makes this study particularly significant is the timing - the eggs were exposed for just 24 hours before incubation began, yet the brain damage was still evident two weeks later. This suggests that electromagnetic fields may be most harmful during critical developmental windows. The magnetic field strengths used (1.33 to 7.32 mT) are higher than typical household exposures but within ranges that can occur near power lines or electrical equipment. The reality is that developing nervous systems appear especially vulnerable to EMF exposure, which raises important questions about protecting pregnant women and children from these ubiquitous fields.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1.33 , 2.66, 7.32 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- continuous for 24 h before incubation
Exposure Context
This study used 1.33 , 2.66, 7.32 mG for magnetic fields:
- 66.5Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 13.3Kx 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
Effects of sinusoidal electromagnetic fields on histopathology and structures of brains of preincubated white leghorn hen eggs were investigated.
Three hundred healthy fresh fertilized eggs (55–65 gr) were divided into three groups of experimenta...
Results showed electromagnetic fields have toxic effects on brain cells by increasing the number of ...
These findings suggest that the electromagnetic fields induce brain damages at different levels.
Show BibTeX
@article{ms_2011_effects_of_sinusoidal_electromagnetic_271,
author = {Lahijani MS and Bigdeli MR and Kalantary S.},
title = {Effects of sinusoidal electromagnetic fields on histopathology and structures of brains of preincubated white leghorn chicken embryos},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.3109/15368378.2011.596250},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2011.596250},
}