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, Taşkin A. · 2010
View Original AbstractTen months of magnetic field exposure at current safety limits caused brain oxidative stress and weakened antioxidant defenses in rats.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed rats to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields at levels matching current safety standards for 2 hours daily over 10 months. They found that these exposures significantly increased oxidative stress (cellular damage from free radicals) and weakened the brain's natural antioxidant defenses, though they didn't trigger cell death. This suggests that even magnetic field exposures within current safety limits may cause harmful biochemical changes in brain tissue over time.
Why This Matters
This study delivers a troubling message about our current safety standards for extremely low-frequency magnetic fields. The researchers used exposure levels of 100 and 500 microtesla, which correspond exactly to the public and occupational safety limits established by regulatory agencies. Yet even at these supposedly 'safe' levels, they documented clear evidence of oxidative stress in rat brains after long-term exposure. What makes this particularly concerning is the duration of the study. Ten months of exposure in rats represents a significant portion of their lifespan, making this more relevant to human chronic exposure scenarios than short-term studies. The fact that the brain's natural antioxidant systems were compromised suggests these fields may be creating an environment where cellular damage can accumulate over time, even if immediate cell death doesn't occur.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.1, 0.5 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 2 h/day for 10 months
Exposure Context
This study used 0.1, 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_592,
author = {Akdag MZ and Dasdag S and Ulukaya E and Uzunlar AK and Kurt MA and Taşkin A.},
title = {Effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic field on caspase activities and oxidative stress values in rat brain.},
year = {2010},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20177816/},
}