Effects of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field of 1 mT on the performance of detour learning task by chicks.
Che Y, Sun H, Cui Y, Zhou D, Ma Y. · 2007
View Original AbstractTwenty hours of daily magnetic field exposure impaired learning in chicks, suggesting chronic EMF exposure may affect cognitive function.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed young chicks to magnetic fields from power lines for 20 hours daily and tested their learning ability. Chicks with prolonged exposure showed significantly impaired learning and memory compared to unexposed chicks, suggesting extended magnetic field exposure may interfere with brain development.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research showing that ELF magnetic fields can affect brain function, particularly learning and memory processes. The 1 milliTesla exposure level used here is quite high compared to typical household exposures (which range from 0.01 to 0.2 mT near appliances), but it's within the range found near power lines or in certain occupational settings. What makes this research particularly significant is the dose-response relationship it demonstrates - 20 hours of daily exposure caused cognitive impairment while 50 minutes did not, suggesting that duration of exposure matters as much as intensity. While this was an animal study, the brain mechanisms involved in learning and memory are remarkably similar across species, making these findings relevant for understanding potential human health effects from chronic EMF exposure.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 1 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 20 h/day
Exposure Context
This study used 1 mG for magnetic fields:
- 50Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 10Kx 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
The aim of this study is to observe Effects of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field of 1 mT on the performance of detour learning task by chicks
we examined the effects of exposure to an extremely low-frequency magnetic field of 1 mT intensity o...
These results show that 20 h/day exposure to a low-frequency magnetic field induces a significant im...
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2007_effects_of_exposure_to_612,
author = {Che Y and Sun H and Cui Y and Zhou D and Ma Y.},
title = {Effects of exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field of 1 mT on the performance of detour learning task by chicks.},
year = {2007},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0361923007001955},
}