Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers measured tri-axial magnetic fields from 226 domestic appliances in 16 UK homes. Average magnetic field strength was 0.03 microT while background ellipticity averaged 47%. Microwave and electric ovens produced the highest ellipticities at 20 cm distance. Field strength and polarization showed a negative correlation. The authors conclude that ellipticity should be a metric for future epidemiological studies.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers conducted a systematic review of provocation studies. Thirty-one experiments testing 725 "electromagnetically hypersensitive" participants were identified. Twenty-four experiments found no evidence of biophysical hypersensitivity, while seven reported some supporting evidence. Meta-analyses found no evidence of an improved ability to detect EMF in hypersensitive participants.
Unknown authors · 2005
An overwhelming percentage of general practitioners (up to 96%) to some degree, or totally, believe in a health-relevant role of environmental electromagnetic fields. Two-thirds are consulted occasionally or even frequently by self-declared electromagnetic hypersensitive patients. Only 4% mention having received information on "electromagnetic pollution" from such a source.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers studied singlet oxygen production sensitized by chemically modified, carotenoidless bacterial photosynthetic reaction centres. Both the singlet oxygen yield and the ensuing oxidative damage were shown to depend on magnetic field.
Unknown authors · 2005
A hospital-based case-control study at three U.S. centers from 1994 to 1998 enrolled 410 glioma, 178 meningioma, 90 acoustic neuroma cases and 686 controls who reported use of 14 electrical appliances. Ever use of hair dryers was associated with glioma (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 2.5) but risk did not increase with amount of use, and in men electric shaver use was associated with meningioma (odds ratio = 10.9, 95% confidence interval: 2.3, 50) with odds ratios increasing with cumulative minutes of use, although based on only two nonexposed cases. For most appliances there was little evidence of an association with brain tumors.
Unknown authors · 2005
Unknown authors · 2005
Three talks covered cellular, animal, and epidemiological studies of static magnetic fields. The overall conclusion was that scientific evidence is weak with large gaps due to poor study quality or lack of research. Rapid technological development is increasing human exposure to stronger static magnetic fields. Knowledge about health effects lags far behind this technological development.
Unknown authors · 2005
The study found that human lymphocyte-synthesized melatonin plays a crucial role in modulating the IL-2/IL-2 receptor system. When melatonin biosynthesis was blocked with parachlorophenylalanine, both IL-2 and IL-2 receptor levels fell, and adding exogenous melatonin restored them. The effects were mediated by melatonin receptors, as antagonists luzindole and CGP 55644 significantly decreased IL-2 and IL-2 receptor expressions. Blocking membrane receptors with luzindole increased prostaglandin E2-induced inhibition of IL-2 production.
Unknown authors · 2005
Residential exposure was calculated as time-weighted average magnetic fields from power lines from 1967 to diagnosis, while occupational exposure was assessed via job titles classified by hours per week above 0.1 μT from 1955 to diagnosis. The two highest residential exposure categories showed elevated odds ratios for all brain tumours (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 0.9–2.7 and OR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.7–2.3), but the risk was not statistically significant and no clear exposure-response pattern emerged. Occupational exposure showed no association with brain tumours for any site, and the occupational exposure groups showed an inverse association.
Unknown authors · 2005
The first study surveyed property valuers' perceptions of distribution equipment near residential property. The second study analyzed transaction data from a case study in Scotland. The paper presents initial findings from these studies.
Unknown authors · 2005
Epidemiological studies have associated a doubling of childhood leukemia risk with exposures above 0.3/0.4 microT. The authors propose that power frequency magnetic fields suppress nocturnal melatonin production, accounting for the observed increased risk of childhood leukemia. Melatonin disruption has been shown in animals, especially with exposure to electric and/or rapid on/off magnetic fields. Support for the hypothesis comes from studies showing magnetic field disruption of melatonin in human populations chronically exposed to both electric and magnetic fields associated with electricity distribution. Melatonin is highly protective against oxidative damage to the human haemopoietic system.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed cultured cells from different tissues to intermittent 50 Hz, 1 mT ELF-EMF for 1-24 hours. They used alkaline and neutral comet assays to assess ELF-EMF-induced DNA strand breaks. The study identified three responder cell types (human fibroblasts, human melanocytes, rat granulosa cells) and three non-responder cell types (human lymphocytes, human monocytes, human skeletal muscle cells).
Unknown authors · 2005
The Bernal Lecture 2004 explored scientific challenges regarding low-frequency electromagnetic fields as a health hazard. The lecture drew on experiences of the EMF Biological Research Trust which funds basic research on ELF-EMF biological effects. The lecture found no compelling experimental evidence that environmental ELF-EMFs induce biological responses.
Vijayalaxmi , Obe G · 2005
The studies used animals, cultured rodent and human cells, and freshly collected human blood lymphocytes to assess DNA strand breaks, chromosomal aberrations, micronuclei, and sister chromatid exchanges. Of the 63 studies, 29 (46%) found no increased genetic damage, 14 (22%) suggested an increase, and 20 (32%) were inconclusive.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed two-month-old Wistar male rats to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields at 100-300 microT and 54-160 V/m for 4 h a day, seven days a week for one month. After sacrifice, skin and thyroid samples were processed for toluidine blue staining or indirect immunohistochemistry, and stereological analysis was performed using an M42 grid and a special microscopic frame. The numerical and volume density of intact type A mast cells in the thyroid was significantly higher in the exposed group compared to controls. Mast cells and immunoreactive nerve fibers were observed in the skin, and histamine-immunoreactive mast cells were observed in the thyroid of exposed animals. However, the differences in stereological data were not statistically significant by the Mann-Whitney test.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed cultured human fibroblasts to intermittent 50 Hz ELF-EMF (5 minutes on, 10 minutes off) at 1 mT for 2 to 24 hours. Micronuclei frequency increased in a time-dependent manner, becoming statistically significant after 10 hours and plateauing at roughly three times the basal level after about 15 hours. Chromosomal aberrations were also elevated, reaching up to 10-fold above baseline.
Unknown authors · 2005
The report describes scientific research on health effects from household appliances, regulations, magnetic field strengths near devices, and resulting exposures. Exposure to electric and magnetic fields from most household appliances is below EU recommended levels. No short-term health effects are expected for those appliances. Outdated literature suggests some older equipment still in use may exceed EU levels, but newer appliances meeting European standards are less likely to exceed them. EU exposure levels are based on effects occurring during or shortly after exposure, and research does not point to a link between cancer and household appliance use.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed 24 male Wistar rats to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields at 100-300 microT for 4 hours daily over one month. Skin and thyroid samples were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and stereology with markers for serotonin, substance P, CGRP, PGP 9.5, and NPY. Exposed rats had significantly more serotonin-positive mast cells in skin and NPY-containing nerve fibers in thyroid compared to controls.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed two clones of MCF-7 breast cancer cells to 50Hz electromagnetic fields and calculated IC(50) values from tamoxifen dose-response curves. The dose-response curves shifted to higher tamoxifen concentrations in an intensity-dependent manner, with a maximal response at 1.2muT. The authors hypothesized that electromagnetic field exposure could contribute to tamoxifen resistance observed in breast cancer after long-term treatment.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed insulin solution to a pulsed electric field of 0.7 V/m at 50 Hz for 20 minutes and then added it to human hepatocyte cultures. They investigated insulin signaling events including ligand-receptor binding, tyrosine phosphorylation, gene transcription, and cell proliferation using multiple methods. PEF exposure caused a conformational change in insulin, reduced its receptor binding capacity to 87% of control, and decreased intracellular tyrosine phosphorylation by 11%. The expression of 55 out of 12000 genes was altered, including increased expression of human tyrosine phosphatase and a small GTP-binding protein.
Unknown authors · 2005
The study used molecular dynamics simulations to examine insulin chain-B under static and oscillating electric fields ranging from 10(7) to 10(9) V/m. Both field types affected the protein's normal behavior, with oscillating fields being more disruptive to structure than static fields of similar strength. Static fields stabilized the secondary structure but restricted the inherent flexibility required for insulin's biological activity.
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers exposed rats bearing human breast cancer xenografts to increasing intensities of white fluorescent light during the dark phase and collected blood from premenopausal women at daytime, nighttime, or after 90 minutes of bright light at night. Tumors perfused with nocturnal melatonin-rich blood showed markedly suppressed proliferative activity and linoleic acid uptake compared with tumors perfused with daytime melatonin-deficient blood. Tumors perfused with blood collected after ocular light-at-night exposure exhibited the daytime pattern of high tumor proliferative activity, and the tumor growth response to light during darkness was intensity dependent.
Swanson J et al et al. · 2005
Unknown authors · 2005
Researchers studied the effect of 900MHz low-intensity microwave fields on AMPA GluR2 protein and intracellular calcium in postnatal rat cerebral cortical neurons. Neurons were exposed to continuous 900MHz microwaves at SAR values of 3.22, 2.23, and 1.15 W/kg for 2 hours per day over 4 or 6 consecutive days, and also for 12 hours at 3.22 W/kg. Compared with sham exposure, GluR2 protein was significantly down-regulated and intracellular calcium was significantly up-regulated in the exposed neurons.
Seitz H, Stinner D, Eikmann T, Herr C, Röösli M. · 2005
Researchers systematically reviewed literature from 2000 to 2004 on electromagnetic hypersensitivity and mobile phone electromagnetic fields, evaluating 13 studies of sufficient quality. Five randomized cross-over studies on impaired well-being from mobile phone exposure gave contradictory results and were limited by short exposure periods and small sample sizes. Observational epidemiological studies showing a positive association between exposure and unspecific symptoms had methodological limitations preventing firm conclusions. In the only provocation study with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity individuals, perception of field status was no better than chance.
