EVIDENCE FOR GENOTOXIC EFFECTS OF RESONANT ELF MAGNETIC-FIELDS

The possibility that extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields affect the genomic integrity of the cell is the objective of this study. Human peripheral lymphocytes (HPLs) were exposed to different exposure conditions combining ac and static magnetic fields. We used the micronuclei (MN) cytogenetic technique, because MN formation is considered as a marker of chromosomal damage produced by genotoxic agents. The first set of experiments were performed at 50 Hz, 150 mu T rms and 32 Hz, 75 mu T and 150 mu T rms magnetic fields with the static geomagnetic field components nulled. No effects were detected using the MN test on HPL as an indicator for cellular genomic damage when the static magnetic field was nulled. Moreover, such exposure to an ac magnetic field does not appear to interfere with the action of a powerful genotoxic agent mytomicin-C (MMC), i.e. there was no synergistic effect. The second set of experiments were conducted exposing cells to 32 Hz, 150 mu T and 75 mu T rms, parallel to a 42 mu T dc magnetic field. The 75 mu T rms, 32 Hz exposure condition was chosen to maximize the resonance effect on Ca2+ according to parametric resonance theory. We found a statistically significant increase of MN for both exposure conditions. The experiment provides evidence for the genotoxic effects of resonant ELF magnetic fields in human lymphocytes.