Effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field on caspase activities and oxidative stress values in rat brain.
Akdag MZ, Dasdag S, Ulukaya E, Uzunlar AK, Kurt MA, Taşkın A. · 2010
View Original AbstractMagnetic fields at current safety limits caused brain oxidative stress in rats after 10 months of exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to low-frequency magnetic fields at safety-approved levels for 10 months. The fields increased harmful oxidative stress and weakened brain antioxidant defenses without killing cells. This suggests current safety standards may not prevent cellular damage from long-term exposure.
Why This Matters
This study reveals a troubling pattern: magnetic field exposures at levels considered 'safe' by regulatory standards produced measurable biological harm in brain tissue. The 100 and 500 microtesla exposure levels tested here are precisely the public and occupational safety limits established by international guidelines. Yet after 10 months of exposure, researchers documented clear signs of oxidative stress and compromised antioxidant defenses in rat brains. The science demonstrates that our current safety standards may not adequately protect against long-term biological effects. What this means for you is that chronic exposure to ELF magnetic fields from power lines, electrical wiring, and household appliances may be causing cellular stress in your brain, even when those exposures fall within regulatory limits. The reality is that safety standards were designed to prevent acute heating effects, not the subtle but potentially significant biological changes documented in studies like this one.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.1 and 0.5 mG
- Source/Device
- ELF-MF
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 10 months
Exposure Context
This study used 0.1 and 0.5 mG for magnetic fields:
- 5Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 1Kx 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
This study was aimed to investigate the effect of extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) on apoptosis and oxidative stress values in the brain of rat.
Rats were exposed to 100 and 500 µT ELF-MF, which are the safety standards of public and occupationa...
Final score of apoptosis and MPO activity were not significantly different between the groups. CAT a...
In conclusion, apoptosis was not changed by long-term ELF-MF exposure, while both 100 and 500 µT ELF-MF exposure induced toxic effect in the rat brain by increasing oxidative stress and diminishing antioxidant defense system.
Show BibTeX
@article{mz_2010_effects_of_extremely_lowfrequency_315,
author = {Akdag MZ and Dasdag S and Ulukaya E and Uzunlar AK and Kurt MA and Taşkın A.},
title = {Effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field on caspase activities and oxidative stress values in rat brain.},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1007/s12011-010-8615-3},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-010-8615-3},
}