Electromagnetic Field Toxicology Reporter

Evaluation and Assessment of Extremely Low Frequency EMF Bioeffects
Volume 2, Number 3, September 2000

Toxicology

by Robert B. Goldberg, Ph.D., Editor

Summary

The question of whether ELF EMFs have any association with cancer and leukemia is an open one, and much work continues in this area. We discuss a recent review which analyzed 24 studies investigating the potential cocarcinogenicity of 50/60-Hz magnetic fields in experimental animals. A study from Canadian workers examined the promotional activity of 60-Hz magnetic fields on neurogenic tumors induced in a rat model by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea. A French study undertaken in mice found that far from being a promoter of carcinogenesis, exposure to magnetic fields in some model systems actually reduced the incidence of tumors induced by the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene. A significant body of epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that relatively strong EMFs can alter cardiac rhythm, which is not surprising in view of the electrical nature of the mechanisms controlling heart rate. We reviewed an article that described a pilot and full follow-up study indicating that exposure to a 50-Hz magnetic field slowed the heart rate (HR) and caused changes in the underlying HR variability (HRV) in human subjects. In the follow-up study, 35 subjects, 23 males, aged 18-52 participated. If these effects are substantiated, they imply that magnetic fields that are well below the current guidelines for public exposure may be able to affect the cardiovascular control system. [four pages, 4 references].

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