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DNA & Genetic Damage

Absence of DNA damage after 60-Hz electromagnetic field exposure combined with ionizing radiation, hydrogen peroxide, or c-Myc overexpression.

No Effects Found

Jin YB, Choi SH, Lee JS, Kim JK, Lee JW, Hong SC, Myung SH, Lee YS. · 2014

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Power-frequency magnetic fields at 1 mT showed no DNA damage in cell studies, even when combined with radiation.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed four different types of human and mouse cells to 60 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) for 4 to 16 hours, both alone and combined with known DNA-damaging agents like radiation and hydrogen peroxide. They found no DNA damage from the magnetic field exposure alone, and the magnetic fields did not make other DNA-damaging agents more harmful. This suggests that power-frequency magnetic fields at 1 milliTesla may not directly damage cellular DNA.

Exposure Information

A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 60 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

The study examined exposure from: 60 Hz Duration: 4 or 16 h

Study Details

The principal objective of this study was to assess the DNA damage in a normal cell line system after exposure to 60 Hz of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) and particularly in combination with various external factors, via comet assays.

NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, WI-38 human lung fibroblast cells, L132 human lung epithelial cells, ...

The results obtained showed no significant differences between the cells exposed to ELF-MF alone and...

Cite This Study
Jin YB, Choi SH, Lee JS, Kim JK, Lee JW, Hong SC, Myung SH, Lee YS. (2014). Absence of DNA damage after 60-Hz electromagnetic field exposure combined with ionizing radiation, hydrogen peroxide, or c-Myc overexpression. Radiat Environ Biophys. 53(1):93-101, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{yb_2014_absence_of_dna_damage_2851,
  author = {Jin YB and Choi SH and Lee JS and Kim JK and Lee JW and Hong SC and Myung SH and Lee YS.},
  title = {Absence of DNA damage after 60-Hz electromagnetic field exposure combined with ionizing radiation, hydrogen peroxide, or c-Myc overexpression.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00411-013-0506-5},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2014 study found that 60 Hz magnetic fields at 1 milliTesla did not increase DNA damage when combined with ionizing radiation or hydrogen peroxide. The magnetic fields showed no synergistic effects, meaning they didn't make other DNA-damaging agents more harmful to cells.
Research testing 1 milliTesla 60 Hz magnetic fields on four different cell types found no direct DNA damage after 4 to 16 hours of exposure. The study showed no significant differences between exposed and unexposed cells, suggesting these field strengths may not directly harm genetic material.
A 2014 study found that 60 Hz magnetic field pre-exposure did not enhance DNA damage from hydrogen peroxide, a known cellular toxin. The research showed no additive effects when cells were exposed to both the magnetic field and chemical damage simultaneously.
Research exposed human and mouse cells to 60 Hz magnetic fields for both 4 and 16 hours without detecting DNA damage. The study found no significant cellular harm at either exposure duration, suggesting these timeframes may be tolerable at 1 milliTesla field strength.
A 2014 study combined 60 Hz magnetic field exposure with c-Myc gene overexpression and found no enhanced DNA damage. The research showed no synergistic effects between the electromagnetic field and this cancer-promoting gene activation in multiple cell types tested.