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Alteration of diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate to workers exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

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Szmigielski, S, Bortkiewicz, A, Gadzicka, E, Zmyslony, M, Kubacki, R · 1998

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Radiofrequency EMF exposure disrupted workers' natural daily blood pressure and heart rate rhythms, with stronger fields causing greater disruption.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Polish researchers studied 61 workers exposed to radiofrequency EMF at radio stations and compared their daily blood pressure and heart rate patterns to 42 unexposed workers. They found that EMF exposure disrupted the natural daily rhythms of both blood pressure and heart rate, with higher exposure levels causing more pronounced effects. This suggests that radiofrequency radiation may interfere with the body's autonomic nervous system, which controls these vital functions.

Why This Matters

This study reveals something concerning about how radiofrequency EMF affects our most basic physiological rhythms. The disruption of natural blood pressure and heart rate cycles isn't just an academic curiosity - these rhythms are fundamental to cardiovascular health and are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. What makes this research particularly relevant is that the exposure levels (20-550 V/m) overlap with what you might encounter near cell towers or other RF infrastructure. The dose-response relationship the researchers found - where higher exposure caused greater disruption - strengthens the case that these effects are genuinely caused by EMF rather than coincidence. The fact that these were healthy workers makes the findings even more significant, as it suggests that EMF can disrupt normal physiology even in people without underlying health conditions.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of this study was to determine the course of diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate in a group of workers exposed to various intensities of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

In the study we used 61 healthy workers (aged 30-50 years) who had been exposed to radiofrequency EM...

Healthy men aged 28-49 years, working on a pattern of 12-24-12-48 h, exhibited typical, well-preserv...

Occupational exposure to radiofrequency EMF can result in changes of the diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate with lowering of their amplitudes and a shift of the acrophase. The clinical relevance of the present finding needs to be investigated in further studies.

Cite This Study
Szmigielski, S, Bortkiewicz, A, Gadzicka, E, Zmyslony, M, Kubacki, R (1998). Alteration of diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate to workers exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Blood Press Monit 3(6):323-330, 1998.
Show BibTeX
@article{szmigielski_1998_alteration_of_diurnal_rhythms_2729,
  author = {Szmigielski and S and Bortkiewicz and A and Gadzicka and E and Zmyslony and M and Kubacki and R},
  title = {Alteration of diurnal rhythms of blood pressure and heart rate to workers exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.},
  year = {1998},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10212373/},
}
PubMed: 10212373

Cited By (73 papers)

View all 73 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

Polish researchers found that workers exposed to radiofrequency EMF at radio stations showed disrupted daily blood pressure rhythms compared to unexposed workers. The natural two-peak pattern was flattened and shifted to earlier hours, with higher RF exposure levels causing more pronounced disruptions to these vital cardiovascular rhythms.
A 1998 study of 61 radio station workers found that radiofrequency EMF exposure significantly altered their natural daily heart rate patterns. Workers showed flattened heart rate rhythms with peak times shifting from afternoon to late morning, suggesting RF radiation interferes with autonomic nervous system control.
Research on radio station workers revealed that occupational radiofrequency exposure disrupts the body's natural 24-hour cardiovascular cycles. Both blood pressure and heart rate showed reduced daily variations and earlier peak times, with these effects becoming more severe at higher RF exposure intensities.
Workers at radio stations exposed to radiofrequency EMF experienced significant alterations in their daily blood pressure and heart rate patterns. The study found lowered rhythm amplitudes and shifted peak times occurring 3-6 hours earlier than normal, indicating potential autonomic nervous system disruption.
Yes, Polish researchers documented that high-intensity radiofrequency exposure at radio facilities caused more pronounced disruptions to workers' natural blood pressure cycles. The normal twice-daily peaks were flattened and occurred earlier in the day, with effects correlating to RF exposure intensity levels.