OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological studies have reported an association between exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and increased risk of cancerous diseases, albeit without dose-effect relationships. The validity of such findings can be corroborated only by demonstration of dose-dependent DNA-damaging effects of ELF-EMFs in cells of human origin in vitro. METHODS: Cultured human diploid fibroblasts were exposed to intermittent ELF electromagnetic fields. DNA damage was determined by alkaline and neutral comet assay. RESULTS: ELF-EMF exposure (50 Hz, sinusoidal, 1-24 h, 20-1,000 mu T, 5 min on/10 min off) induced dose-dependent and time-dependent DNA single-strand and double-strand breaks. Effects occurred at a magnetic flux density as low as 35 mu T, being well below proposed International Commission of Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. After termination of exposure the induced comet tail factors returned to normal within 9 h. CONCLUSION: The induced DNA damage is not based on thermal effects and arouses concern about environmental threshold limit values for ELF exposure.
OBJECTIVES: Epidemiological studies have reported an association between exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and increased risk of cancerous diseases, albeit without dose-effect relationships. The validity of such findings can be corroborated only by demonstration of dose-dependent DNA-damaging effects of ELF-EMFs in cells of human origin in vitro. METHODS: Cultured human diploid fibroblasts were exposed to intermittent ELF electromagnetic fields. DNA damage was determined by alkaline and neutral comet assay. RESULTS: ELF-EMF exposure (50 Hz, sinusoidal, 1-24 h, 20-1,000 mu T, 5 min on/10 min off) induced dose-dependent and time-dependent DNA single-strand and double-strand breaks. Effects occurred at a magnetic flux density as low as 35 mu T, being well below proposed International Commission of Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. After termination of exposure the induced comet tail factors returned to normal within 9 h. CONCLUSION: The induced DNA damage is not based on thermal effects and arouses concern about environmental threshold limit values for ELF exposure.
Authors: Maciej Lopucki; Ivo Schmerold; Agnes Dadak; Henryk Wiktor; Hans Niedermüller; Marta Kankofer Journal: Virchows Arch Date: 2005-04-19 Impact factor: 4.064
Authors: Claudia Schwarz; Elisabeth Kratochvil; Alexander Pilger; Niels Kuster; Franz Adlkofer; Hugo W Rüdiger Journal: Int Arch Occup Environ Health Date: 2008-02-16 Impact factor: 3.015
Authors: Shikha Chandel; Shalinder Kaur; Mohd Issa; Harminder Pal Singh; Daizy Rani Batish; Ravinder Kumar Kohli Journal: J Environ Health Sci Eng Date: 2019-01-05