Investigations on DNA damage and frequency of micronuclei in occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted from video display terminals (VDTs).
Lakshmi NK, Tiwari R, Bhargava SC, Ahuja YR. · 2010
View Original AbstractLong-term computer users showed DNA damage after 10+ years of occupational screen exposure, suggesting genetic effects accumulate over time.
Plain English Summary
Researchers examined DNA damage in 138 software professionals who used computer screens for more than 2 years, comparing them to 151 matched controls. While overall results showed no significant differences between groups, workers who used computers for more than 10 years showed increased DNA damage and cellular abnormalities called micronuclei. This suggests that long-term occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields from video display terminals may cause genetic damage that accumulates over time.
Why This Matters
This study provides important evidence that occupational EMF exposure from computer screens can cause measurable genetic damage, but only after extended periods of use. The finding that DNA damage appeared only in workers with more than 10 years of exposure suggests a cumulative effect that builds over time. What makes this research particularly relevant is that it examined real-world occupational exposure levels that millions of office workers experience daily. The micronucleus test used here is a well-established biomarker for chromosomal damage and cancer risk. While the overall group showed no effects, the subset analysis revealing damage in long-term users follows a pattern we see across EMF research where effects become apparent only with sufficient exposure duration or intensity. This underscores why we need longer-term studies and why current safety standards, based largely on short-term thermal effects, may be inadequate for protecting workers from chronic low-level exposure.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
This study was undertaken to evaluate DNA damage and incidences of micronuclei in such professionals.
To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first attempt to carry out cytogenetic invest...
Overall DNA damage and incidence of micronuclei showed no significant differences between the expose...
Show BibTeX
@article{nk_2010_investigations_on_dna_damage_1794,
author = {Lakshmi NK and Tiwari R and Bhargava SC and Ahuja YR.},
title = {Investigations on DNA damage and frequency of micronuclei in occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted from video display terminals (VDTs).},
year = {2010},
url = {https://www.scielo.br/j/gmb/a/K7LV9vdGm7cCmzQmLzLH6hp/?lang=en&format=html},
}