Effects Of Low-frequency Magnetic Fields Research Articles

Results of Epidemiological Cancer Study Among Electrical Workers in Finland

Several epidemiological studies suggested a correlation between occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields and cancer (leukemia, brain tumors). Also, living close to high voltage powerlines has been reported to be associated with increased risk of cancer. Our studies with chick embryos suggested that low-frequency magnetic fields (LFMFs) had an adverse effect on embryonal development (1). The effects of LFMFs on growth and cell division could be the basis of both teratogenic effects and promotion of cancer.

Effects of low-frequency magnetic fields on bacterial growth rate

A large number of cultures of the bacterium E. coli have been grown in weak alternating magnetic fields of square waveform, at frequencies of 50 Hz and 16.66 Hz. Control cultures were simultaneously grown under ambient conditions identical except for the almost complete absence of any magnetic field. The mean generation time (MGT) for a culture subjected to alternating magnetic fields is significantly reduced by comparison with that for the control cultures. Application of the F-ratio test indicates a probability of less than one in two million that the effects observed are due to change. A marked threshold effect is observed, along with strong indications of periodicity in the graph if MGT against magnetic field strength. Within the limits of experimental error, these effects correspond to integral changes in the number of magnetic flux quanta linking an individual bacterial cell during the process of division.