Teratological studies of prenatal exposure of mice to a 20 kHz sawtooth magnetic field.

In order to evaluate the importance of gestational age in possible effects due to exposure to a 20 kHz sawtooth magnetic field, pregnant ICR mice at gestational 2.5-15.5 days post-coitus, which is the most sensitive stage for the induction of major congenital malformations, were exposed in a carrousel irradiator. The mice were exposed to a 20 kHz intermediate frequency (IF) sawtooth magnetic field had a 6.5 microT peak intensity for 8 h/day. The animals were sacrificed on the 18th day of gestation; and the fetuses were examined for mortality, growth retardation, changes in head size, and other morphological abnormalities. From the above conditions, it is concluded that the exposure to a 20 kHz sawtooth magnetic field with 6.5 microT peak intensity does not inflict any adverse effect on fetuses of pregnant mice. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.