The effect of electromagnetic field exposure on the formation of DNA lesions.
Lourencini da Silva R , Albano F, Lopes dos Santos LR , Tavares AD, Felzenszwalb I · 2000
View Original AbstractEMF exposure directly broke DNA strands in laboratory conditions, providing a biological mechanism for how electromagnetic fields might contribute to cancer development.
Plain English Summary
Brazilian researchers exposed DNA samples (plasmids) to electromagnetic fields to see if EMF could damage genetic material. They found that EMF exposure caused DNA breaks and made the genetic material less functional, particularly when transition metals were present. This laboratory evidence suggests EMF may damage DNA through the creation of harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, potentially explaining links between EMF exposure and certain cancers.
Why This Matters
This study provides direct laboratory evidence that electromagnetic fields can break DNA strands, particularly in the presence of transition metals like tin. What makes this research significant is that it identifies a plausible biological mechanism for how EMF exposure might contribute to cancer development. The researchers demonstrated that EMF-damaged DNA was less capable of functioning normally in bacterial cells, suggesting the damage was functionally meaningful, not just cosmetic. While this was a laboratory study using isolated DNA rather than living organisms, it supports the growing body of evidence that EMF exposure can trigger oxidative stress and genetic damage. The reality is that our bodies contain various transition metals, making this mechanism potentially relevant to human health. This type of foundational research helps explain the epidemiological studies linking EMF exposure to increased cancer rates in certain populations.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
In an attempt to determine whether electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure might lead to DNA damage, we exposed SnCl2-treated pBR322 plasmids to EMF and analysed the resulting conformational changes using agarose gel electrophoresis.
An EMF-dependent potentiation of DNA scission (i.e. the appearance of relaxed plasmids) was observed...
These observations support the idea that EMF, probably through secondary generation of reactive oxygen species, can be clastogenic and provide a possible explanation for the observed correlation between EMF exposure and the frequency of certain types of cancers in humans.
Show BibTeX
@article{r_2000_the_effect_of_electromagnetic_2382,
author = {Lourencini da Silva R and Albano F and Lopes dos Santos LR and Tavares AD and Felzenszwalb I},
title = {The effect of electromagnetic field exposure on the formation of DNA lesions.},
year = {2000},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11145105/},
}