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- Archive-name: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part1
- Last-modified: 1995/2/21
- Version: 1.3
- Maintainer: jmoulder@its.mcw.edu
-
- FAQs on Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer - Introduction
-
- * Purpose
-
- The purpose of this FAQ sheet is to examine the laboratory and
- epidemiological evidence relevant to the issue of whether static (direct
- current, DC) magnetic or electric fields cause or contribute to cancer in
- humans.
-
- * Table of Contents
- * Part 2
- 1) Does anyone think that static magnetic fields cause cancer?
- 2) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between EM fields
- and cancer, can all EM fields be considered the same?
- 3) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between static EM
- fields and cancer, do we have to consider EM radiation as well as EM
- fields?
- 4) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between static EM
- fields and cancer, do we have to consider the electric as well as the
- magnetic component of the field?
- 5) What units are used to measure static magnetic fields?
- 6) What sort of static magnetic fields are common in residences?
- 7) What sort of static magnetic fields are common in workplaces?
- 8) What is known about the relationship between occupational exposure to
- static magnetic fields and cancer?
- 9) How do scientists determine whether an environmental agent, such as a
- static EM field causes or contributes to the development of cancer?
- 10) How does the epidemiological evidence relevant to a connection between
- static fields and cancer stand up to the Hill criteria?
- 11) How could laboratory studies be used to help evaluate the possible
- relationship between static magnetic fields and cancer?
- 12) Are static magnetic fields genotoxic?
- 13) Do static magnetic fields enhance the effects of other genotoxic agents?
- 14) Do laboratory studies indicate that static magnetic fields have any
- biological effects that might be relevant to cancer?
- 15) Do static magnetic fields show any reproducible biological effects in
- laboratory studies?
- 16) Do static magnetic fields of the intensity encountered in occupational
- settings show reproducible biological effects?
- 17) Are there known mechanisms that would explain how static magnetic
- fields of the intensity encountered in occupational settings could cause
- biological effects?
- 18) How does the sum of the laboratory and epidemiological evidence
- relevant to a connection between static magnetic fields and cancer stand
- up to the Hill criteria?
- 19) Have any independent bodies reviewed the research on static electric
- and magnetic fields and possible human health effects?
- 20) Do exposure standards for static electric and magnetic fields exist?
- 21) What is the basis for the safety standards set by Lawrence Livermore,
- WHO, ACGIH, NRPB, and ICNIRP?
-
- * part 3: Annotated bibliography
-
- Revision Notes:
- v1.0 (27-Dec-94): Draft circulated for comments on sci.med.physics,
- sci.physics.electromag, and sci.med.diseases.cancer
- v1.1 (12-Jan-95): Minor modification made based on newsgroup comments,
- formatted for news.answers, and submitted for approval.
- v1.3 (21-Feb-95): Approved by news.answers, pointer (part0) section added.
-
- ** Notice **
- This FAQ is Copyright (C) by John Moulder and the Medical College of
- Wisconsin, and is made available as a service to the Internet community.
- Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this document
- electronically as long as it is unmodified. Notification of such
- redistribution would be appreciated. This FAQ may not be sold in any
- medium, including electronic, CD-ROM, or database, or published in print,
- without the explicit, written permission of John Moulder.
-
- end: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part1
- Archive-name: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part2
- Last-modified: 1995/2/21
- Version: 1.3
- Maintainer: jmoulder@its.mcw.edu
-
- FAQs on Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer
-
-
- 1) Does anyone think that static magnetic fields cause cancer?
-
- While most public concern about electromagnetic (EM) fields and cancer has
- concentrated on power-frequency, microwave (MW) and radiofrequency (RF)
- fields, claims have been made that static magnetic fields cause or
- contribute to cancer.
-
-
- 2) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between EM fields
- and cancer, can all EM fields be considered the same?
-
- No. The nature of the interaction of an EM source with biological
- material depends on the frequency of the source, so that different types
- of EM sources must be evaluated separately.
-
- X-rays, ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light, MW/RF, magnetic fields from
- electrical power systems (power-frequency fields), and static magnetic
- fields are all sources of EM energy. These different EM sources are
- characterized by their frequency or wavelength.
-
- The frequency of an EM source is the rate at which the electromagnetic
- field changes direction and/or amplitude and is usually given in Hertz
- (Hz) where 1 Hz is one change (cycle) per second. The frequency and
- wavelength are related, and as the frequency rises the wavelength gets
- shorter. Power-frequency fields are 50 or 60 Hz and have a wavelength of
- about 5000 km. By contrast, microwave ovens have a frequency of 2.54
- billion Hz and a wavelength of about 10 cm, and X-rays have frequencies of
- 10^15 Hz and, and wavelengths of much less than 100 nm. Static fields, or
- direct current (DC) fields do not vary regularly with time, and can be
- said to have a frequency of 0 Hz and an infinitely long wavelength.
-
- Although we usually discuss EM sources as though they produce waves of
- energy, sometimes EM energy acts like particles (photons), particularly at
- the higher frequencies. At the very high frequencies characteristic of
- X-rays, photons have sufficient energy to break chemical bonds
- (ionization), and this part of the electromagnetic spectrum is termed
- ionizing. The well-known human health hazards from exposure to ionizing
- radiation are the result of the breaking of chemical bonds in the genetic
- material (DNA).
-
- For frequencies below that of UV light, DNA damage does not occur because
- the photons do not have enough energy per photon to break chemical bonds,
- and this part of the electromagnetic spectrum is termed non-ionizing. A
- principal mechanism by which non-ionizing EM sources such as RF, MW and
- visible light cause biological effects is by inducing electrical currents
- that cause heating. This heating can kill cells, and if enough cells are
- killed, long-term and possibly permanent tissue damage can occur. The
- efficiency with which a non-ionizing EM source causes heating depends on
- the frequency of the source. At frequencies below those used for AM radio
- (500,000 Hz), EM sources are very inefficient at heating.
-
- Static EM fields cannot break bonds because the energy per photon is too
- low. The static field intensities to which people are exposed in the vast
- majority of residential and occupational settings cannot cause heating
- because the induced electrical currents are too low. Thus the known
- mechanisms through which ionizing radiation, visible light, RF, and MW
- affect biological material have no relevance for static fields.
-
-
- 3) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between static EM
- fields and cancer, do we have to consider EM radiation as well as EM
- fields?
-
- No. Static EM sources do not produce radiation.
-
- In general, EM sources produce both radiant energy (radiation) and
- non-radiant energy (fields). Radiated energy exists apart from its
- source, travels away from the source, and continues to exist even if the
- source is turned off. Fields are not projected away into space, and cease
- to exist when the energy source is turned off. For static EM fields there
- is no radiative component.
-
-
- 4) When evaluating whether there might be a connection between static EM
- fields and cancer, do we have to consider the electric as well as the
- magnetic component of the field?
-
- No. Only the magnetic field component is relevant to possible health effects.
-
- The magnetic fields associated with static EM sources exists only when
- current is flowing. These magnetic fields are difficult to shield, and
- easily penetrate buildings and people. The electrical fields associated
- static EM sources exist whenever voltage is present, and regardless of
- whether current is flowing. In contrast to magnetic fields, these
- electrical fields have very little ability to penetrate skin or
- buildings. Thus any biological effects from routine exposure static
- fields must be due to the magnetic component of the field.
-
-
- 5) What units are used to measure static magnetic fields?
-
- Static magnetic fields are generally measured in Tesla (T), milliTesla
- (mT), and microTesla (microT) where 1000 mT = 1 T, and 1000 microT = 1
- mT. In the US, fields are sometimes still measured in Gauss (G) and
- milliGauss (mG), where 10,000 G equals 1 T (1 G = 100 microT; 1 microT =
- 10 mG).
-
- Magnetic fields can be specified in either magnetic flux density or
- magnetic field strength. In the US and Western Europe field strengths are
- usually specified in units of magnetic flux density (Tesla or Gauss). In
- some of the Eastern European literature, however, magnetic fields are
- specified in Oersteds (Oe), which are units of magnetic field strength.
- When dealing with exposure of non-ferromagnetic material, such as animals
- or cells, magnetic flux density and magnetic field strength can be assumed
- to be equal, so 1 Oersted = 1 Gauss = 100 microT.
-
- Direct effects on ferromagnetic objects and electronic equipment are the
- only things that most people would notice below about 4000 mT. There is
- really no threshold for effects on ferromagnetic objects; a good compass
- will twitch at fields as low as 10 microT, but it takes a much larger
- field (above 1 mT) to makes metal objects dangerous. Electronics can also
- sense quite low fields; a high resolution color monitor, for example, will
- show color distortions at fields as low as 0.2 mT.
-
-
- 6) What sort of static magnetic fields are common in residences?
-
- Residential and environmental exposure to static magnetic fields is
- dominated by the Earth's natural field, which ranges from 0.03 to 0.07 mT,
- depending on location. Static magnetic fields under direct current (DC)
- transmission lines are about 0.02 mT. Small artificial sources of static
- fields (permanent magnets) are common, ranging from the specialized (audio
- speakers components, battery-operated motors, microwave ovens) to trivial
- (refrigerator magnets). These small magnets can produce fields of 1-10 mT
- within a cm or so of their magnetic poles [1]. The highest static
- magnetic field exposures to the general public are from magnetic resonance
- imaging (MRI), where the fields range from 150-2000 mT.
-
-
- 7) What sort of static magnetic fields are common in workplaces?
-
- Persons with occupational exposures to static fields include operators of
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) units, personnel in specialized physics
- and biomedical facilities (for example, those working with particle
- accelerators), and workers involved in electrolytic processes such as
- aluminum production. Some aluminum manufacturing workers are reported to
- be exposed to fields of 10-15 mT for long periods of time, with maximum
- exposures up to 60 mT [2,3]; but another study reports average fields of
- only 2-4 mT [4]. Workers in plants using electrolytic cells are reported
- to be exposed to fields of 4-10 mT for long periods of time, with maximum
- exposures up to 30 mT [5,6]. Individuals working with particle
- accelerators are exposed to fields above 0.5 mT for long periods of time,
- with exposures above 300 mT for many hours, and maximum exposures of up to
- 2,000 mT [7].
-
-
- 8) What is known about the relationship between occupational exposure to
- static magnetic fields and cancer?
-
- There have been relatively few studies of cancer incidence in workers
- exposed to static magnetic fields. Budinger et al [7] found no excess
- cancer in workers exposed to 300 mT fields from particle accelerators, and
- Barregard et al [6] found no excess cancer in workers exposed to 10 mT
- fields in a chlorine production plant.
-
- There are also studies of aluminum reduction plant workers [8,9,10]. The
- studies were not designed to analyzed the effects of static fields, but
- these workers are exposed to static fields of 2-15 mT [2,3,4]. In the
- aluminum reduction plant studies, the only significant excess cancer
- reported was for lymphoreticular tumors, and this was seen in one study
- [8].
-
-
- 9) How do scientists determine whether an environmental agent, such as a
- static EM field causes or contributes to the development of cancer?
-
- There are certain widely accepted criteria, often called the "Hill
- criteria" [11], that are weighed when assessing epidemiological and
- laboratory studies of agents that may cause human cancer. Under the Hill
- criteria one examines the strength, consistency, and specificity of the
- association between exposure and the incidence of cancer, the evidence for
- a dose-response relationship, the laboratory evidence, the biological
- plausibility of the association, and the coherence of the proposed
- association with what is known about the agent and about cancer.
-
- - The first Hill criterion is whether there a clear increase in cancer
- incidence associated with exposure. The excess cancer found in
- epidemiological studies is usually quantified in a number called the
- relative risk (RR). This is the risk of an "exposed" person getting
- cancer divided by the risk of an "unexposed" person getting cancer. Since
- no one is unexposed to static fields, the comparison is actually "high
- exposure" versus "low exposure". A RR of 1.0 means no effect, a RR of
- less than 1.0 means a decreased risk in exposed groups, and a RR of
- greater than 1.0 means an increased risk in exposed groups. A strong
- association is one with a relative risk (RR) of 5 or more. Tobacco
- smoking, for example, shows a RR for lung cancer 10-30 times that of
- non-smokers.
-
- - The second Hill criterion is whether most studies show about the same
- increased incidence of the same type of cancer. Using the smoking
- example, essentially all studies of smoking and cancer have shown an
- increased incidence of lung and head-and-neck cancers.
-
- - The third Hill criterion is whether cancer incidence increase when the
- exposure increases? Again, the more a person smokes, the higher the
- increased risk of lung cancer.
-
- - The fourth Hill criterion is whether there is laboratory evidence
- suggesting that the cancer is associated with exposure. Epidemiological
- associations are greatly strengthened when there is laboratory evidence to
- support such an association.
-
- - The fifth Hill criterion is whether there are plausible biological
- mechanisms that suggest that there should be an association between the
- agent and cancer. When it is understood how something causes disease, it
- is much easier to interpret ambiguous epidemiology. For smoking, while
- the direct laboratory evidence connecting smoking and cancer was weak at
- the time of the Surgeon General's report, the association was highly
- plausible because there were known cancer-causing agents in tobacco smoke.
-
- - The sixth Hill criterion is whether the association between exposure to
- an agent and cancer is coherent (consistent) with other things that we
- know about the biophysics of the agent and the biology of cancer.
-
- The Hill criteria must be applied with caution. First, when employing the
- Hill criteria it is necessary to examine the entire published literature;
- it is not acceptable to pick out only those reports that support the
- existence of a health hazard. Second, it is necessary to directly review
- the important source documents; it is not acceptable to base judgments
- solely on academic or regulatory reviews. Third, satisfying the
- individual criteria is not a yes-no matter; support for a criterion can be
- strong, moderate, weak, or non-existent. Lastly, the Hill criteria must
- be viewed as a whole; no individual criterion is either necessary or
- sufficient for concluding that there is a causal relationship between
- exposure to an agent and a disease.
-
-
- 10) How does the epidemiological evidence relevant to a connection between
- static fields and cancer stand up to the Hill criteria?
-
- Application of the Hill criteria shows that the current epidemiological
- evidence for a connection between static magnetic fields and cancer is
- weak to non-existent.
-
- - First, the association between static magnetic fields and cancer is
- weak, since there is only one study that shows an excess risk [8], and
- that excess risk is not large.
-
- - Second, the association between static magnetic fields and cancer is
- inconsistent since studies of workers exposed to static magnetic fields in
- industries other than aluminum reduction plants show no association
- between exposure to static fields and cancer.
-
- - Third, since only one study reports a statistically significant
- association between exposure to static fields and cancer, the issue of
- specificity is moot.
-
- - Fourth, the only study reporting an association between exposure to
- static fields and cancer shows no evidence of a dose-response
- relationship.
-
- Thus the epidemiological evidence for an association between static
- magnetic fields and cancer is weak and inconsistent, and fails to show a
- dose-response relationship.
-
-
- 11) How could laboratory studies be used to help evaluate the possible
- relationship between static magnetic fields and cancer?
-
- When epidemiological evidence for a causal relationship is weak to
- non-existent, as in the case of static magnetic fields and cancer,
- laboratory studies would have to provide very strong evidence for
- carcinogenicity in order to tip the balance.
-
- Laboratory evidence that static magnetic fields might be carcinogenic
- would be evidence that these fields directly damage the genetic material
- of cells (genotoxicity) or evidence that they increase the chance that a
- genotoxin would cause cancer (epigenetic activity).
-
-
- 12) Are static magnetic fields genotoxic?
-
- A broad range of whole organism and cellular genotoxicity studies of
- static fields have been carried out. Together these studies offer
- convincing evidence that static magnetic fields are not genotoxic.
-
- Whole organism genotoxicity studies with static magnetic fields have been
- somewhat limited. Beniashvili et al [12] found no increase in mammary
- cancer in mice exposed to a 0.02 mT field. Mahlum et al [13] found that
- exposure of mice to a 1000 mT field did not cause mutations, and other
- investigators found a similar lack of mutagenesis in fruit flies exposed
- to 1000-3700 mT [14,15,16,17] fields.
-
- Cellular genotoxicity studies have been more extensive. Published
- laboratory studies have reported that static magnetic fields do not cause
- any of the effects that indicate genotoxicity. Static magnetic fields do
- not cause chromosome aberrations [18,19,20,21,22,23], sister chromatid
- exchanges [18,20,22,24], cell transformation [19,25] or mutations
- [26,27,28].
-
- Some studies of static electrical fields have also been conducted. These
- have been reviewed by McCann et al [29], who concluded that while there
- were some reports of genotoxicity for static electrical fields, "all
- reports of positive results have utilized exposure conditions likely to
- have been accompanied by auxiliary phenomena such as corona, spark
- discharge, and transient electrical shocks, whereas negative reports have
- not."
-
-
- 13) Do static magnetic fields enhance the effects of other genotoxic agents?
-
- In general, static magnetic fields do not appear to have this type of
- epigenetic activity. There are a few studies that suggest that static
- magnetic fields might enhance the effects of other genotoxic agents, but
- none of these studies has been replicated.
-
- Three studies [14,30,31] have found that 140-3700 mT static fields do not
- enhance the mutagenic effects of ionizing radiation; but one study [32]
- reported that 1100-1400 mT static fields caused a slight increase in the
- number of chromosome aberrations produced by exposure to high doses of
- ionizing radiation, and another study reported that a 4000 mT field
- slightly increased radiation-induced cell killing [33]. Repair of
- radiation-damage was reported not be affected by a 140 mT field [31], but
- to be inhibited at 4000 mT [33]. Kale & Baum [34] reported that 1300-3700
- mT static fields did not enhance the mutagenic effects of a known chemical
- genotoxin.
-
- Two studies [35,36] found that 150-800 mT static fields did not enhance
- the development of chemically-induced mammary tumors, but a third study
- [12] reported that a 0.02 mT static field did enhance the development of
- chemically-induced mammary tumors.
-
-
- 14) Do laboratory studies indicate that static magnetic fields have any
- biological effects that might be relevant to cancer?
-
- No. Laboratory studies of the effects of static magnetic fields show that
- these fields do not have the type of effects on tumor growth, cell growth,
- immune system function or hormonal balance that have been associated with
- carcinogenesis.
-
- - Tumor growth: In general, static magnetic fields of 13-1150 mT appear
- to have no effect on the growth of either chemically-induced [36] or
- transplanted [37,38,39] tumors. There is one report that suggests that a
- 15 mT static field increases the growth rate of chemically-induced tumors
- [35].
-
- - Cell growth: Static magnetic fields of 45-2000 mT appear to have no
- effect on the growth of human [20,39,33] or animal [25,39,31,42] cells;
- but there is one report of inhibition of growth of human lymphocytes at
- 4000-6300 mT [33].
-
- - Immune system effects: In most studies, static magnetic fields of
- 13-2000 mT appear to have no effect on the immune system of animals
- [38,40,41,42], although one study reports that the implantation of small
- magnets into the brains of rats enhanced their immune response [43]. Two
- studies of humans [5,44] have reported that workers in aluminum reduction
- plants, where exposure to static magnetic fields is common, have minor
- alterations in the numbers of some types of immune cells. These minor
- alterations in cell number are of no known clinical significance, and may
- not even be related to magnetic field exposure.
-
- - Hormonal effects: There are some reports that static magnetic fields of
- the order of the natural earth field (about 0.05 mT) can affect melatonin
- production in rats [45,46,47]. It is not clear that this observation has
- any significance for human health. While it has been suggested that
- melatonin might have "cancer-preventive" activity [48,49], there is no
- evidence that static magnetic fields affect melatonin levels in humans, or
- that melatonin has anti-cancer activity in humans.
-
-
- 15) Do static magnetic fields show any reproducible biological effects in
- laboratory studies?
-
- Yes. While the laboratory evidence does not suggest a link between static
- magnetic fields and cancer, studies have reported that static magnetic
- fields do have "bioeffects", particularly at field strengths above 2000 mT
- [1,50,51,52,53,54,55]. These "bioeffects" have no obvious connection to
- cancer.
-
-
- 16) Do static magnetic fields of the intensity encountered in occupational
- settings show reproducible biological effects?
-
- Yes. A few biological effects have been reported in laboratory systems
- for fields as low as 60 mT, and some organisms appear to be able to detect
- changes in the strength and/or orientation of the Earth's static magnetic
- field (0.03-0.05 mT) [54]. In addition, the rates of some chemical
- reactions can be affected by magnetic fields as low as 10 mT [56,57].
-
-
- 17) Are there known mechanisms that would explain how static magnetic
- fields of the intensity encountered in occupational settings could cause
- biological effects?
-
- There are known biological mechanisms through which strong (greater than
- 2000 mT) static magnetic fields could cause biological effects [1,50], but
- these mechanisms could not account for biological effects of static fields
- with intensities of less than about 200 mT [1,50]. It is conceivable that
- biological effects could be mediated through effects on chemical reactions
- at field strengths as low as 1 mT [56,57], but there is no evidence that
- this actually occurs.
-
-
- 18) How does the sum of the laboratory and epidemiological evidence
- relevant to a connection between static magnetic fields and cancer stand
- up to the Hill criteria?
-
- Application of the Hill criteria [Q9] shows that the evidence for a causal
- association between exposure to static fields and the incidence of cancer
- is weak to nonexistent.
-
- - A review of the epidemiological evidence shows that the association
- between exposure to static magnetic fields and cancer is weak to
- nonexistent [Q9].
-
- - The laboratory studies of static fields show no evidence of the type of
- effects on cells, tissues or animals that point towards static fields
- causing, or contributing to, cancer [Q12,Q13,Q14].
-
- - From what is known about the biophysics of static magnetic fields and
- the effects of static magnetic fields on biological systems, there is no
- reason to even suspect that they would cause or contribute to cancer
- [Q17].
-
-
- 19) Have any independent bodies reviewed the research on static electric
- and magnetic fields and possible human health effects?
-
- Yes. There have recently been a number of such reviews of the
- epidemiological and laboratory literature. None of these reviews have
- concluded that static magnetic or electrical fields of the intensity
- encountered in residential and occupational settings are human health
- risks.
-
- A 1993 review by the United Kingdom (British) National Radiological
- Protection Board [58] concluded that for static electric fields "there is
- no biological evidence from which basic restrictions on human exposure to
- static electric fields can be derived... " and that "for most people, the
- annoying perception of surface electric charge... will not occur during
- exposure to static electric fields of less than about 25 kV/m".
-
- For static magnetic fields the NRPB [58] concluded that: "there is no
- direct experimental evidence of any acute, adverse effect on human health
- due to short-term exposure to static magnetic fields up to about 2 T [2000
- mT]... Effects on behavior or cardiac function from exposure to much
- higher magnetic flux densities than 2 T [1000 mT] cannot be ruled out...
- There is little experimental information on the effects of chronic
- exposure. So far, no long term effects have become apparent... There is
- no convincing evidence that static magnetic fields are mutagenic... Tumor
- progression and, by implication, tumor promotion seems to be unaffected by
- exposure to static fields of at least 1 T [1000 mT]"
-
- In 1993, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
- (ACGIH) [59] concluded in their review of the literature of static
- magnetic fields that: "no specific target organs for deleterious magnetic
- field effects can be identified at the present time... Although some
- effects [of static magnetic fields] have been observed in both humans and
- animals, there have not been any clearly deleterious effects conclusively
- demonstrated at magnetic field levels up to 2 T [2000 mT]."
-
- In 1994, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
- (ICNIRP) [50] concluded that: "current scientific knowledge does not
- suggest any detrimental effect on major developmental, behavioral and
- physiological parameters in higher organisms for transient exposure to
- static field densities up to 2 T [2000 mT]. From analysis of the
- established interactions, long-term exposure to magnetic flux densities of
- 200 mT should not have adverse consequences."
-
-
- 20) Do exposure standards for static electric and magnetic fields exist?
-
- Yes. A number of governmental and professional organizations have
- developed exposure standards, or have modified or reaffirmed their
- previous standards.
-
- In 1987, the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory developed and
- published guidelines for personnel exposure to static magnetic fields
- [54]. Under their guideline, people with pacemakers and prosthetic
- devices are limited to a peak field of 1 mT, training and medical
- surveillance is required for persons exposed to fields above 50 mT, and
- time-weighted average fields are limited to 60 mT to the whole-body and
- 600 mT to the arms and legs. Peak exposures are limited to 2000 mT.
-
- In 1987, the World Health Organization (WHO) published health criteria for
- workers exposed to static magnetic fields [60]. Their report concluded
- that: "from the available data it can be concluded that short-term
- exposure to static magnetic fields of less than 2 T [2000 mT] does not
- present a health hazard."
-
- In late 1993, the British National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB)
- issued exposure guidelines for static fields [58]. For static magnetic
- fields, the limits recommended are 200 mT averaged over 24 hours, 2000 mT
- as a maximum whole-body field, and 5000 mT as a maximum to arms and legs.
- For static electrical fields the limit recommended is 25 kV/m. This
- standard applies to both residential and occupational exposure.
-
- Also in 1994, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial
- Hygienists (ACGIH) reaffirmed a standard for exposure to static magnetic
- fields [59]. The static magnetic field limit is 1 mT for pacemaker users
- and 600 mT for everyone else. This is a "should not exceed" rather than a
- time-weighted standard. Because of the nature of ACGIH this standard is
- applied only to occupational settings.
-
- In 1994, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
- (ICNIRP) published guidelines for exposure to static magnetic fields
- [50]. For the general public the magnetic field exposure standard is 40
- mT for continuous exposure, except for persons with cardiac pacemakers and
- other implanted electronic devices, where the standard is lower (about 1
- mT). For occupational exposure, the standard is 200 mT for continuous
- exposure, 2000 mT for short-term whole-body exposure, and 5000 mT for
- exposure to arms and legs.
-
-
- 21) What is the basis for the safety standards set by Lawrence Livermore,
- WHO, ACGIH, NRPB, and ICNIRP?
-
- The standards are based on several considerations. One objective is to
- keep the electrical currents induced by movement through the static
- magnetic field to a level less than those that occur naturally in the
- body. A second objective is to keep the electrical currents induced in
- large blood vessels by blood flow to a level that will not produce
- hemodynamic or cardiovascular effects. The pacemaker restriction is
- designed to prevent interference with pacemaker operation, although these
- units are designed to minimize such effects. The restriction on
- prosthetic devices is to avoid the attraction or torque exerted on these
- objects if they are ferromagnetic.
-
- Copyright (C) by John Moulder and the Medical College of Wisconsin
- end: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part2
- Archive-name: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part3
- Last-modified: 1995/2/21
- Version: 1.3
- Maintainer: jmoulder@its.mcw.edu
-
- FAQs on Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer -- Bibliography
-
- 1) CI Kowalczuk, ZJ Sienkiewicz & RD Saunders: Biological Effects of
- Exposure to Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Fields and Radiation I. Static
- Electric and Magnetic Fields (NRPB-R238), National Radiation Protection
- Board, Chilton, (1991).
- "There are insufficient data on which to base restrictions on human
- exposure to static electric fields. For static magnetic fields, the data
- suggest that occupational exposures should not exceed about [2000 mT]...
- Prolonged exposure to static magnetic fields of up to [2000 mT] does not
- produce any detrimental effects of many developmental, behavioral and
- physiological parameters in animals... There is no evidence of mutagenesis
- or carcinogenesis... In view of the relative lack of information regarding
- the possible long-term effects, it is reasonable on present evidence to
- restrict the exposure of workers so that the average exposure over one day
- does not exceed 200 mT and to restrict exposure of members of the public
- to less than 200 mT."
-
- 2) MA Stuchly: Human exposure to static and time-varying magnetic
- fields, Health Phys. 51:215-225 (1986).
- Review of human exposures to static and ELF magnetic fields, and
- regulations covering exposure.
-
- 3) NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Report: Alumax of South Carolina,
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for
- Occupational Safety and Health, (1994).
- In an aluminum reduction plant, static fields were as high as 70 mT with
- time-weighted averages of 15-16 mT.
-
- 4) R VonKaenelet al: The determination of the exposure to
- electromagnetic fields in aluminum electrolysis, In: "Light Metals 1994",
- U Mannweiler., ed., The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, pp. 253-260
- (1994)..
- Static fields were 4-20 mT at various locations around the pots.
- Personnel monitoring showed average fields of 2-4 mT, with very large
- variations and peaks as high at 25 mT.
-
- 5) JL Marsh et al: Health effect of occupational exposure to steady
- magnetic fields, Amer. Indust. Hygiene Assoc. J. 43:387-394 (1982).
- Case-control study of electrolysis workers exposed to a static fields of
- up to 20 mT. No significant effects were found. Some effects on white
- cell counts were found, but they were not statistically significant.
-
- 6) L Barregard et al: Cancer among workers exposed to strong static
- magnetic fields (letter), Lancet October 19, 1985:892 (1985).
- Cohort study of Swedish workers in a chloralkali plant. Measured fields
- ranged from 4 to 29 mT. SMRs for total cancer were 0.1 (.3-1.6) for
- workers exposed for greater than 1 year, and 0.8 (0.3-1.9) for workers
- exposed for more than 5 years.
-
- 7) TF Budinger et al: Biological effects of static magnetic fields, In:
- "Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Magnetic
- Resonance in Medicine", Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine,
- Berkeley, pp. 113-114 (1984).
- Case-control study of worker who were exposed to static magnetic fields
- from accelerators. Exposures ranged from 0.5 mT for long periods of time
- to 300 mT for short periods. No significant increase in malignant or
- benign neoplasms was found.
-
- 8) S Milham: Mortality in aluminum reduction plant workers, J. Occup.
- Med. 21:475-480 (1979).
- Cohort study with an emphasis on air quality, the exposure to static
- fields was coincidental. Elevated mortality from lymphatic and
- hematopoietic cancer (1.8) and fatal benign brain tumors (3.9). Leukemia
- and brain cancer mortality was not elevated.
-
- 9) HE Rockette & VC Arena: Mortality studies of aluminum reduction plant
- workers: Potroom and carbon department, J. Occup. Med. 25:549-557 (1983).
- Cohort study of aluminum reduction plant workers designed to investigate
- a hypothesized excess of lung cancer, the exposure to static fields was
- coincidental. No statistically significant excess cancer rates were found
- for any site, although non-significant excesses were observed for
- pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer.
-
- 10) JM Mur et al: Mortality of aluminium reduction plant workers in
- France, Int. J. Epidemiol. 18:257-264 (1987).
- Standardized mortality ratio study of workers in aluminum reduction
- plants, designed to look for excess lung cancer. The SMR for overall
- cancer was 1.09 (0.97-1.22), and no individual types of tumors were found
- to be in significant excess.
-
- 11) AB Hill: The environment and disease: Association or causation?
- Proc. Royal Soc. Med. 58:295-300 (1965).
- Formal enunciation of the principles used to determine causation for
- occupational and environmental exposures (the Hill criteria).
-
- 12) DS Beniashvili et al: Low-frequency electromagnetic radiation
- enhances the induction of rat mammary tumors by nitrosomethyl urea, Cancer
- Letters 61:75-79 (1991).
- Study of the effects of a 0.2 mT static fields (0.5 or 3 hrs/day for 2
- years) on the induction of mouse mammary tumors by nitrosomethyl urea.
- Authors report no effects are reported for static fields alone, but
- promotion was reported for 3 hr exposures. Exposure, and particularly
- sham-exposure conditions are poorly described.
-
- 13) DD Mahlum et al: Dominant lethal studies in mice exposed to
- direct-current magnetic fields, In: "Biological effects of extremely low
- frequency electromagnetic fields", RD Phillips MF Gillis WT Kaune et al.,
- eds., Technical Information Center, Springfield, pp. 474-484 (1979).
- Male mice were exposed under three conditions: 1000 mT static field for
- 28 days; 2.5 T/m (100-1000 mT) gradient field for 28 days; an on-off
- ramped 2.5 T/m (100-1000 mT) gradient field for 42 hours. No increase in
- dominant lethal mutations was observed.
-
- 14) S Mittler: Failure of magnetism to influence production of X-ray
- induced sex-linked recessive lethals, Mutat. Res. 13:287-288 (1971).
- Fruit flies were exposed to a 1100 mT static field and/or 3300 R of
- X-rays. The magnetic field alone did not increase the number of
- mutations, and the field did not increase the incidence of x-ray induced
- mutations.
-
- 15) JR Diebolt: The influence of electrostatic and magnetic fields on
- mutation in Drosophila melanogaster spermatozoa, Mutat. Res. 57:169-174
- (1978).
- No sex-linked recessive mutation in fruit flies exposed to static (0.3
- kV/cm) electric and magnetic (927 mT) fields.
-
- 16) PG Kale & JW Baum: Genetic effects of strong magnetic fields in
- Drosophila melanogaster, I. Homogeneous fields ranging from 13,000 to
- 37,000 Gauss, Mutat. Res. 1:371-374 (1979).
- No induction of mutations in fruit flies exposed to 1300-3700 mT static
- fields.
-
- 17) JR Diebolt: The influence of electrostatic and magnetic fields on
- mutation in Drosophila melanogaster spermatozoa, Mutat. Res. 57:169-174
- (1978).
- No sex-linked recessive mutation in fruit flies exposed to static (0.3
- kV/cm) electric and magnetic (927 mT) fields.
-
- 18) P Cooke & PG Morris: The effects of NMR exposure on living
- organisms. II. A genetic study of human lymphocytes, Br. J. Radiol.
- 54:622-625 (1981).
- Lymphocytes were exposed to 500 and 1000 mT static fields or to MRI
- imaging procedures. No effects of chromosomal abnormalities or sister
- chromatid exchanges were observed.
-
- 19) CR Geard et al: Magnetic resonance and ionizing radiation: A
- comparative evaluation in vitro of oncogenic and genotoxic potential,
- Radiology 152:199-202 (1984).
- Mouse cells were exposed to static fields of up to 2700 mT for periods
- of up to 17 hours, together with the gradient field, and the RF fields
- that would be used in MRI. Ionizing radiation was used as a positive
- control. No effect on transformation and chromosome abnormality rates
- were found.
-
- 20) FJ Peteiro-Cartelle & J Cabezas-Cerrato: Absence of kinetic and
- cytogenetic effects on human lymphocytes exposed to static magnetic
- fields, J. Bioelec. 8:11-19 (1989).
- PHA-stimulated human lymphocytes were exposed for 72-96 hours in culture
- to a static field at 45 and 125 mT. No effects on chromosome aberrations
- or cell growth were observed.
-
- 21) VV Shevchenko et al: [On the problem of induction of chromosome
- aberrations in plants by a constant magnetic field], Genetika 14:1101-1103
- (1978).
- Plant seeds were germinated in a static magnetic field at 900 mT and
- 1200 mT for 2 days, or dry seeds were exposed for 2 months to a 900 mT
- static magnetic field. No increase in chromosome aberrations was
- observed.
-
- 22) S Wolff et al: Magnetic resonance imaging: Absence of in vitro
- cytogenetic damage, Radiology 155:163-165 (1985).
- Human (stimulated and unstimulated) lymphocytes and CHO cells were
- exposed for 12.5 hrs to a MRI unit with a static field of 2400 mT plus
- 100-MHz RF. No increases in chromosome aberrations or sister chromatid
- exchanges were observed.
-
- 23) S Wolff et al: Tests for DNA and chromosomal damage induced by
- nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, Radiology 136:707-710 (1980).
- CHO cells were exposed for 14 hrs to a 350 mT static field together with
- a gradient field (up to 0.2 mT/cm), and the RF fields (15 MHz at 5 mW/cm2)
- that would be used in MRI. Experiments were also run with higher RF
- power. No chromosomal aberrations were observed.
-
- 24) E Yamazaki et al: Effect of Gd-DTPA and/or magnetic field and
- radiofrequency exposure on sister chromatid exchange in human peripheral
- lymphocytes, Acta Radiol. 34:607-611 (1993).
- PHA-stimulated lymphocytes were exposed to a 1500 mT static field plus
- RF at 64 MHz (SAR of 0.4 W/kg) and Gd-DTPA. The addition of the Gd-DTPA
- caused an increase in chromosome aberrations, but no effects on chromosome
- aberrations were observed for the fields alone.
-
- 25) ME Frazier et al: In vitro evaluations of static magnetic fields,
- In: "Biological effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic
- fields", RD Phillips MF Gillis WT Kaune et al., eds., Technical
- Information Center, US Department of Energy, Springfield, pp. 417-435
- (1979).
- Mammalian cells were exposed to 500 or 1000 mT static fields for 2, 4 or
- 24 hours, or to 100 or 300 mT fields for up to 67 days. No effects on
- cell growth rates, cell viability or cell transformation were observed.
-
- 26) RL Moore: Biological effects of magnetic fields: studies with
- microorganisms, Can. J. Microbiol. 25:1145-1151 (1979).
- Ames test with exposures at 0 to 0.3 Hz to fields of 15 and 30 mT. No
- increase in mutations were observed.
-
- 27) JL Schwartz & LE Crooks: NMR imaging produces no observable
- mutations or cytotoxicity in mammalian cells, Amer. J. Roent. 139:583-585
- (1982).
- Mammalian cells were exposed for 24 hrs to a static field at 300 mT,
- together with a gradient field (up to 0.2 mT/cm), and the RF fields (15
- MHz at 3 mW/sq.-cm) that would be used in MRI. No cytotoxicity or
- mutagenicity (6-TG system) were observed.
-
- 28) A Thomas & PG Morris: The effects of NMR exposure on living
- organisms. I. A microbial assay, Br. J. Radiol. 54:615-621 (1981).
- Bacteria were exposed to a 1000 mT static field and to the conditions
- used in an MRI (900 mT static field plus RF and gradient field). Not
- mutagenic or cytotoxic effects were observed.
-
- 29) J McCann, F Dietrich, C Rafferty, et al: A critical review of the
- genotoxic potential of electric and magnetic fields, Mutat. Res. 297:61-95
- (1993).
- "The preponderance of evidence suggests that neither ELF nor static
- electric and magnetic fields have a clearly demonstrated potential to
- cause genotoxic effects."
-
- 30) PG Kale & JW Baum: Genetic effects of strong magnetic fields in
- Drosophila melanogaster, II. Lack of interaction between homogeneous
- fields and fission neutron-plus-gamma radiation, Environ. Mutagen.
- 2:179-186 (1980).
- No enhancement of radiation-induced mutations in fruit flies exposed to
- a 3700 mT static field.
-
- 31) S Rockwell: Influence of a 1400-gauss magnetic fields on the
- radiosensitivity and recovery of EMT6 cells in vitro, Int. J. Radiat.
- Biol. 31:153-160 (1977).
- Mouse mammary tumor cells were exposed to a 140 mT field alone, during
- or after x-ray treatment. Fields alone has no effect on cell growth.
- Fields had no effect on radiation-induced cell killing or on the repair of
- radiation damage.
-
- 32) T Takatsujiet al: Effect of static magnetic fields on the induction
- of chromosome aberrations by 4.9 MeV protons and 23 MeV alpha particles,
- J. Radiat. Res. 30:238-246 (1989).
- Human lymphocytes were irradiated with and without a 1000-1400 mT static
- magnetic field. The authors report an increase in the incidence of
- radiation-induced dicentrics in cells exposed to the static fields. The
- increase, while statistically significant is very small.
-
- 33) T Norimuraet al: Effects of strong magnetic fields on cell growth
- and radiation response of human T-lymphocytes in culture, Sangyo Ika
- Diagaku Zasshi 15:103-112 (1993).
- Human lymphocytes were exposed to static magnetic fields. An inhibition
- of cell growth was observed at 4000 - 6300 mT, but not at 2000 mT or
- below. Exposure to a 4000 mT field increased radiosensitivity and
- decreased repair of radiation-induced damage.
-
- 34) PG Kale & JW Baum: Genetic effects of strong magnetic fields in
- Drosophila melanogaster III. Combined treatment with homogeneous fields
- and gaseous DBCP, Mutat. Res. 105:79-83 (1982).
- A 1300 mT static magnetic field had no effects on the mutagenic effects
- of a chemical.
-
- 35) M Mevissen et al: Effects of magnetic fields on mammary tumor
- development induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in rats,
- Bioelectromag. 14:131-143 (1993).
- Animals were exposed to a 15 mT static field in the DMBA-induced breast
- tumor system. Exposure was for 24 hrs/day for 91 days. No overall
- promotion effects was observed. An increase in tumor weights was
- reported.
-
- 36) A Bellossi: The effect of a static uniform magnetic field on mice a
- study of methylcholanthrene carcinogenesis, Radiat. Environ. Biophys.
- 23:107-109 (1984).
- Mice previously treated with methylcholanthrene (an initiator) were
- exposed to static magnetic fields from the day of methylcholanthrene
- injection until death, with fields of 300-800 mT, for 5-60 minutes per day
- and 1-5 days per week. No significant effect on survival or body weight
- was detected.
-
- 37) A Bellossi: The effect of a static non-uniform magnetic field on
- mice a study of Lewis tumour graft, Radiat. Environ. Biophys. 25:231-234
- (1986).
- Mice inoculated with tumor cells were exposed to a static field for 5
- days/week, beginning the day of transplant and continuing until death.
- Exposure was for 0.5-2 hrs/day at fields of 170-900 mT. No effects on
- life span, spleen weight, or metastatic potential were found.
-
- 38) A Bellossi & L Toujas: The effect of a static uniform magnetic field
- on mice: A study of a Lewis tumor graft, Radiat. Environ. Biophys.
- 20:153-157 (1982).
- Mice with tumor implants were exposed to static field of 13-915 mT.
- Exposure continued 5 days/week for 0.5-8 hours per day. No effect on
- animals survival was found in any group. The failure-to-take rate (the
- tumor is immunogenic) was also unchanged.. There also appears to have
- been no effect on the rate of lung metastasis, but the manuscript is a bit
- unclear.
-
- 39) S Chandra & S Stefani: Effect of constant and alternating magnetic
- fields on tumor cells in vivo and in vitro, In: "Biological Effects of
- Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, Proceedings of the 18th
- Hanford Life Symposium ", RD Phillips MF Gillis WT Kaune et al., eds.,
- Technical Information Center, U. S. DoE, Springfield, pp. 436-446 (1979).
- Exposure was to a 60-Hz field at 100-1000 mT or to a 11,500 mT static
- field. Exposure was for 0.5 to 3 hours/day, 1-3 days. Two human tumor
- cell lines exposed in vitro, and no effect on cell growth was observed.
- Mouse mammary tumor cells were exposed in culture, then implanted; no
- effect on tumor growth was observed. The mouse mammary tumor cells were
- also implanted and exposed in vivo; again, no effect on tumor growth was
- observed.
-
- 40) JH Battocletti et al: Exposure of rhesus monkeys to 20,000 G steady
- magnetic field: Effect on blood parameters, Med. Phys. 8:115-118 (1981).
- Monkeys were exposed to a uniform 2000 mT static field or to a gradient
- static field (700-2000 mT at 34 mT/cm) for 63-67 hours. Changes in white
- cells counts were found in both exposed animals; subsequent sham-exposures
- caused similar changes. No significant differences were observed between
- exposed and sham-exposed animals.
-
- 41) M Osbakken, J Griffith & P Taczanowsky: A gross morphologic,
- histologic, hematologic, and blood chemistry study of adult and neonatal
- mice chronically exposed to high magnetic fields, Magnet. Reson. Med.
- 3:502-517 (1986).
- Mice were raised for varying periods of time in a 1890 mT static
- magnetic field. No differences were found in gross and microscopic
- morphology, blood counts or blood chemistry.
-
- 42) TS Tenforde & M Shifrine: Assessment of the immune responsiveness of
- mice exposed to a 1.5-Tesla stationary magnetic field, Bioelectromag.
- 5:443-446 (1984).
- Mice were exposed for 6 days to a 1500 mT static field. No effects on
- immune response or on mitogen-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation were
- observed.
-
- 43) BD Jankovic et al: Potentiation of immune responsiveness in aging by
- static magnetic fields applied to the brain. Role of the pineal gland,
- Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 719:410-418 (1994).
- Micromagnets (60 mT) were implanted into the brains of rats; controls
- were sham-implanted with iron beads. The authors report an enhancement of
- animals immune response.
-
- 44) RL Davis & S Milham: Altered immune status in aluminum reduction
- plant workers, Amer. J. Indust. Med. 18:79-85 (1990).
- Authors report that a previous study had found excess lymphoma in
- employees of an aluminum reduction plant. Volunteers in similar jobs has
- elevated levels of certain classes of immune cells. The authors state
- that the cause and significance of the altered immunological parameters
- are unknown.
-
- 45) A Lerchl et al: Marked rapid alterations in nocturnal pineal
- seratonin metabolism in mice and rats exposed to weak intermittent
- magnetic fields, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 169:102-108 (1990).
- Mice were exposed to fields that were designed to reverse the earth's
- static field (0.4 mT). The coils were activated 6 times per hour for 5
- minutes, so this is a pulsed field experiment. The exposure is reported
- to affect seratonin metabolism (but not very much) but not melatonin
- levels.
-
- 46) K Yaga, RJ Reiter, LC Manchester, et al: Pineal sensitivity to
- pulsed static magnetic fields changes during the photoperiod, Brain
- Research Bulletin 30:153-156 (1993).
- Melatonin production in rats was studied after exposure to a pulsed
- static magnetic field (1 min pulses for 45 minutes). The static field
- appears to have resulted in reversal of the Earth field. Slight decreases
- in melatonin production were reported, but only for exposures at certain
- times of day.
-
- 47) J Olcese et al: Evidence for the involvement of the visual system in
- mediating magnetic field effects on pineal melatonin synthesis in the rat,
- Brain Res. 333:382-384 (1985).
- Normal and blinded rats exposed to 0.05 and 0.1 mT static fields that
- produced a rotation of the horizontal component of the Earth field. The
- field is reported to cause a decrease in melatonin in intact, but not in
- blinded animals. Whether this suggests that the retina is the site of
- action of the magnetic field, or that there are visual clues is unclear.
-
- 48) RJ Reiter & BA Richardson: Magnetic field effects on pineal
- indoleamine metabolism and possible biological consequences, FASEB J.
- 6:2283-2287 (1992).
- Review of the hypothesis linking EMF effects with effects on melatonin
- production. The review notes that pulsed fields are the more effective
- than static or sinusoidal fields.
-
- 49) RJ Reiter: Electromagnetic fields and melatonin production, Biomed.
- Pharmacother. 47:439-444 (1993).
- "the current data are not sufficient compelling to conclude that any
- cancer which may appear to occur in individuals exposed to magnetic fields
- has any association with a change in melatonin synthesis"
-
- 50) MH Repacholi et al: Guidelines on limits of exposure to static
- magnetic fields, Health Phys. 66:100-106 (1994).
- The ICNIRP occupational guideline is that continuous occupational
- exposure should be limited to a time-weighted value that does not exceed
- 200 mT. Continuous exposure of the general public should not exceed 40
- mT. These values may not be suitable for people with cardiac pacemakers,
- ferromagnetic implants and implanted electronic devices; for these people,
- exposures should be kept below 0.5 mT.
-
- 51) E Kanal, FG Shellock & L Talagala: Safety considerations in MR
- imaging, Radiology 176:593-606 (1990).
- Eight area of potential concern in MRI safety are reviewed. "It may be
- safely concluded that although no deleterious biological effects from the
- static magnetic fields used in MRI have been definitively associated with
- this modality, all the facts are by no means in yet, and further research
- is continuing..."
-
- 52) International Non-Ionizing Radiation Committee of the International
- Radiation Protection Association: Protection of the patient undergoing a
- magnetic resonance examination, Health Phys. 61:923-928 (1991).
- For the static magnetic-field the IRPA guideline is to monitor
- cardiovascular status above 2000 mT, and not exceed 10,000 mT. "The
- scientific literature does not indicate adverse effects from exposure of
- the whole-body to 2 T and of the extremities to 5 T".
-
- 53) JF Schenck: Health and physiological effects of human exposure to
- whole-body four-Tesla magnetic fields during MRI, Ann. NY Acad. Sci.
- 649:285-301 (1992).
- "Although no health abnormalities were noted [in preclinical trials of
- 4000 mT MRI units], there were several instances of mild sensory
- effects... A strong argument can be made that the potential hazards of
- these effects up to field strengths of 4 T [4000 mT] are well below
- thresholds set the stability of human tissue..."
-
- 54) G Miller: Exposure guidelines for magnetic fields, Amer. Indust.
- Hygiene Assoc. J. 48:957-968 (1987).
- The Lawrence Livermore static magnetic field exposure guidelines, with a
- detailed review of the bioeffects data and of the basis for the standard.
- Guidelines: at 1 mT, exclude pacemakers and warn those with prosthetics;
- at 50 mT, training and medical surveillance are required, and those with
- sickle cell anemia are excluded; 2000 mT is the peak exposure allowed.
-
- 55) FS Prato et al: Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats is altered
- by exposure to magnetic fields associated with magnetic resonance imaging
- at 1.5 T, Micro. Res. Tech. 27:528-534 (1994).
- Exposure of rats to MRI conditions or to a 1500 mT static field
- increased blood-brain barrier permeability. "The effect of MRI on
- blood-brain barrier permeability is poorly understood... additional
- experiments are needed to understand the importance of static field, RF
- field and gradient field".
-
- 56) K Schulten: Magnetic field effects in chemistry and biology, Adv.
- Solid State Phys. 22:61-83 (1982).
- "Chemical and biological photoprocesses which involve bimolecular
- reactions between non-zero spin intermediates... can be influenced by
- magnetic fields". The examples discussed all involve field strengths of
- at least 1 mT, and generally over 10 mT.
-
- 57) JC Scaiano et al: Model for the rationalization of magnetic field
- effects in vivo. Application of the radical-pair mechanism to biological
- systems, Photochem. Photobiol. 59:585-589 (1994).
- A model is proposed for magnetic field effects in biological systems.
- The model involved effects on the chemistry of radical pairs. The result
- of the magnetic field is to increase the life-time and hence the
- concentration of free radicals.
-
- 58) National Radiation Protection Board: Restrictions on human exposure
- to static and time varying electromagnetic fields and radiation, Document
- of the NRPB 4 (5):1-69 (1993).
- The basic restrictions for static magnetic fields are 5000 mT maximum to
- limbs, 2000 mT maximum to whole body and 200 mT averaged over 24 hours.
- For static electric fields the maximum is 25 kV/m.
-
- 59) Documentation of Threshold Limit Values, American Conference of
- Government Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati, OH, (1994).
- The static field standard is that "routine occupational exposures should
- not exceed 60 mT (600 G) whole body or 600 mT (6000 G) to the extremities
- on a daily, time-weighted basis... A flux density of 2 T [2000 mT] is
- recommended as a ceiling value.
-
- 60) Environmental Health Criteria 69, Magnetic Fields, World Health
- Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, (1987).
- "from the available data it can be concluded that short-term exposure to
- static magnetic fields of less than 2000 mT does not present a health
- hazard."
-
- Copyright (C) by John Moulder and the Medical College of Wisconsin
- end: static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part3
-