Effects of aluminum and extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation on oxidative stress and memory in brain of mice.
Deng Y, Zhang Y, Jia S, Liu J, Liu Y, Xu W, Liu L. · 2013
View Original AbstractStrong magnetic fields at 2 milliTesla caused memory loss and brain damage in mice, comparable to aluminum neurotoxicity.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed mice to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) at 2 milliTesla for 4 hours daily over 8 weeks, testing both memory and brain chemistry. The magnetic field exposure caused significant memory impairment in maze tests and increased oxidative stress markers in the brain, similar to the damage caused by aluminum toxicity. These findings suggest that prolonged exposure to strong magnetic fields can harm brain function through oxidative damage.
Why This Matters
This study demonstrates clear neurological harm from magnetic field exposure at levels far above typical household sources, which range from 0.01 to 0.2 milliTesla. The 2 milliTesla exposure used here is 10-200 times stronger than what you'd encounter near power lines or appliances, making it more relevant to occupational exposures or living extremely close to electrical infrastructure. What's particularly concerning is that the magnetic fields produced the same type of brain damage as aluminum, a known neurotoxin. The researchers found impaired learning, memory problems, brain cell loss, and increased oxidative stress. While this exposure level exceeds typical daily encounters, the study adds to growing evidence that magnetic fields can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause measurable neurological effects. The reality is that even if your daily exposures are lower, chronic exposure over years could potentially accumulate similar damage.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 2 mG
- Exposure Duration
- 4 h/day
Exposure Context
This study used 2 mG for magnetic fields:
- 100Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 20Kx 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 aluminum and extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) on oxidative stress and memory of SPF Kunming mice.
Sixty male SPF Kunming mice were divided randomly into four groups: control group, ELF-MF group (2 m...
The results showed a statistically significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity and increas...
In conclusion, both aluminum and ELF-MF could impact on learning memory and pro-oxidative function in Kunming mice. However, there was no evidence of any association between ELF-MF exposure with aluminum loading.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2013_effects_of_aluminum_and_630,
author = {Deng Y and Zhang Y and Jia S and Liu J and Liu Y and Xu W and Liu L.},
title = {Effects of aluminum and extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation on oxidative stress and memory in brain of mice.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%252Fs12011-013-9847-9},
}