Exposure to low-level magnetic fields causes DNA damage in rat brain cells, resear...( Prolonged exposure to low-level magneti...)

Prolonged exposure to low-level magnetic fields, similar to those emitted by such common household devices as blow dryers, electric blankets and razors, can damage brain cell DNA, according to researchers in the University of Washington's Department of Bioengineering. The scientists further found that the damage from brief exposures appears to build up over time.

The new study is scheduled to be published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a journal of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, and is available now on the Internet.

In the study, the researchers discovered that rats exposed to a 60-hertz field for 24 hours showed significant DNA damage, and rats exposed for 48 hours showed even more breaks in brain cell DNA strands. Exposure also resulted in a marked increase in brain cell apoptosis, or "cell suicide," a process in which a cell self-destructs because it can't repair itself.

A previous study showed similar damage, but it was conducted at 10 times the intensity and rats were exposed for just two hours. That indicates that the effects of exposure are cumulative, and duration can be as damaging as intensity, said Henry Lai, a UW research professor who conducted the study with fellow UW bioengineer Narendra Singh. "In real life, people get this kind of exposure in brief doses three minutes of exposure to a blow dryer, five minutes of exposure to an electric razor," Lai said. "We found that this could add up over time and could eventually lead to some health effect." Since Lai first reported findings of magnetic field-induced DNA damage in 1995, several laboratories in Europe and India have reported similar effects.

Traditionally, scientists have held that low-level electromagnetic fields couldn't be harmful because they weren't potent enough to break chemical bonds in a living organism. Lai doesn't disagree he simply suspects a more subtle mechanism i
'"/>

Contact: Rob Harrill
rharrill@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
18-Feb-2004

Page: 1 2 3
Related biology news :

1. Exposure to pollution before viral infection linked to more serious asthma attacks
2. Exposure to toxin in certain foods could cause testicular cancer
3. Exposures to second-hand smoke lower than believed, ORNL study finds
4. For First Time In 40 Years National Jewish Researchers Report Chronic Beryllium Disease Caused By Extremely Low Levels Of Exposure
5. Study Of Childrens Fillings Finds No Mercury Exposure
6. Brief Exposure To High Temperature Has Lasting Effect On Nervous System
7. Spraying Water Containing Airborne Bacteria Found At Some Indoor Swimming PoolsCan Cause "Lifeguard Lung" Following Long-Term Exposure
8. Science Article Criticizes Federal Policy Regarding Lead Exposure And Childrens Health
9. International Study Finds Mothers Lifetime Lead Exposures May Put Breast-Fed Newborns At Risk
10. Three-Way Gene-Gene-Environmental Exposure Interaction Shown By NIEHS To Escalate Smoking-Related Bladder Cancer
11. Scientists At UNC-CH Find Aberdeen Pesticide Exposure, But Few Symptoms