Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on gap junctional intercellular communication in NIH3T3 cells.

No Effects Found

Percherancier Y, Goudeau B, Charlet de Sauvage R, de Gannes FP, Haro E, Hurtier A, Sojic N, Lagroye I, Arbault S, Veyret B. · 2015

View Original Abstract

This study found no disruption of cellular communication from 50 Hz magnetic fields at levels 4-10 times higher than typical home exposures.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed mouse cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields for 24 hours to study whether these fields affect gap junctions (tiny channels that allow cells to communicate with each other). They found no impact on cell communication at the magnetic field strengths tested (0.4 and 1 mT), contradicting some previous studies that suggested power frequency fields could disrupt this cellular function.

Why This Matters

This study adds to the mixed evidence on whether extremely low frequency magnetic fields affect cellular communication pathways. Gap junctional intercellular communication plays a crucial role in tissue function and cancer suppression, so disruption of these channels could theoretically contribute to disease processes. The magnetic field strengths tested here (0.4 to 1 mT) are significantly higher than typical residential exposures from power lines (usually under 0.1 mT), yet the researchers found no effects. However, the conflicting results with other studies highlight the complexity of EMF research and the need for standardized protocols. What this means for you is that while this particular study found no cellular communication disruption, the broader body of research on ELF magnetic fields continues to show biological effects at the cellular level, warranting continued precautionary approaches to EMF exposure.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field: 0.4, 1 mT
Source/Device: 50-Hz
Exposure Duration: 24 h exposure

Exposure Context

This study used 0.4, 1 mT for magnetic fields:

20Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
4Kx 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 present study focused on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) as a target for biological effects of extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field (MF) exposure.

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching microscopy (FRAP) was used to visualize diffusion of a fl...

In contrast to other reports of ELF-MF effects on GJIC, under our experimental conditions we observe...

Cite This Study

Percherancier Y, Goudeau B, Charlet de Sauvage R, de Gannes FP, Haro E, Hurtier A, Sojic N, Lagroye I, Arbault S, Veyret B. (2015). Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on gap junctional intercellular communication in NIH3T3 cells. Bioelectromagnetics. 2015 Apr 3. doi: 10.1002/bem.21908.

Show BibTeX

@article{y_2015_effects_of_50_hz_2902,
  author = {Percherancier Y and Goudeau B and Charlet de Sauvage R and de Gannes FP and Haro E and Hurtier A and Sojic N and Lagroye I and Arbault S and Veyret B.},
  title = {Effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on gap junctional intercellular communication in NIH3T3 cells.},
  year = {2015},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.21908},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.21908},
}

DOI: 10.1002/bem.21908

Cited By (2 papers)

Comparative Analysis of Biological Effects Induced on Different Cell Types by Magnetic Fields with Magnetic Flux Densities in the Range of 1–60 mT and Frequencies up to 50 Hz
C. Vergallo, L. Dini (2018) - 24 citations
Pre-exposure to 50 Hz-electromagnetic fields enhanced the antiproliferative efficacy of 5-fluorouracil in breast cancer MCF-7 cells
Qi Han et al. (2018) - 24 citations

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2015 study found that 50 Hz magnetic fields at 0.4 and 1 mT did not affect gap junction communication in mouse cells after 24 hours of exposure. The researchers observed no disruption of cellular communication channels, contradicting some previous studies that suggested power frequency fields could interfere with this cellular function.

Research on NIH3T3 mouse cells exposed to 50 Hz magnetic fields for 24 hours found no evidence that these fields block gap junctional communication. The study tested field strengths of 0.4 and 1 mT, which are much higher than typical household exposures from power lines.

A 2015 study found that 24-hour exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields at 0.4 and 1 mT did not damage NIH3T3 mouse cells or affect their ability to communicate through gap junctions. The researchers found no direct inhibition of cellular communication under their experimental conditions.

Research using 1 mT magnetic fields at 50 Hz found no harmful effects on mouse cell communication after 24 hours of exposure. This field strength is significantly higher than what people typically encounter from power lines, which are usually measured in microteslas rather than milliteslas.

A study exposing mouse cells to 0.4 mT extremely low frequency (50 Hz) magnetic fields for 24 hours found no effects on gap junction communication. The research contradicted some earlier studies, finding no disruption of the cellular channels that allow cells to share information with each other.