* Children living near high voltage installations have above normal exposure to electromagnetic fields in the 50 Hz range * About 0/5% of Danish children are exposed to measurable levels from such installations * A positive association was observed in this study between all major types of childhood cancer combined and exposure to average magnetic field strengths of 0 3-0-4 ,uT or more, which were measured in distances of up to 50 metres from an overhead power line * Data indicate that the proportion of childhood cancers caused by electromagnetic fields must be small * A possible biological mechanism behind the observed associations still needs to

The influence of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) on performance of 15 implanted cardiac pacemakers (12 generator models) was tested during exposure at a high voltage substation. All patients had an adequate spontaneous heart rate during the study. Tests were performed in the ventricular inhibited mode with unipolar sensing in all pacemakers and repeated with bipolar sensing in four pacemakers. The sensitivity was set to a regular, functionally proper level and then to the highest available level. Exposure was done to moderate (1.2-1.7 kV/m) and strong (7.0-8.0 kV/m) electric fields, which correspond to the immediate vicinity of 110 and 400 kV power lines, respectively. In moderate electric fields the output was inhibited in one pacemaker at regular sensitivity (1.7-3.0 mV) and in five pacemakers at the highest sensitivity (0.5-1.25 mV). In strong electric fields the output was inhibited in five pacemakers at regular sensitivity and several pacemakers converted to noise reversion mode at the highest sensitivity. In bipolar mode only one of four pacemakers at high sensitivity (0.5-1.0 mV) was inhibited in the strongest electric field, whereas all four did so in the unipolar mode. One pacemaker with unipolar sensitivity at 0.5 mV was interfered by 63 microT magnetic field. The results confirm that the programmed sensitivity level and the lead configuration markedly influence pacemakers' vulnerability to EMI. Bipolar sensing mode is rather safe in the presence of EMI, which is encountered in public environments. The programmable features of today's pacemakers permit individualized, less stringent safety measures to avoid electromagnetic hazards.

Chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), replication indices and micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes were analysed among 27 nonsmoking power linesmen with considerable long-term exposure to 50-Hz electromagnetic (EM) fields, and among 27 nonsmoking telephone linesmen serving as a reference group, pairwise matched with the exposed workers for age and geographical region. Blood samples from the two groups were collected, cultured and analysed in parallel. No differences between the groups were observed on analysis of SCEs, replication indices or micronuclei. However, the mean rate of lymphocytes with chromatid-type breaks was higher among the power linesmen (0.96% gaps excluded, 1.41% gaps included) than among the reference group (0.44% and 0.70%, respectively). The excess of aberrant cells was concentrated among those power linesmen who had worked earlier in their life. Although the interpretation is somewhat complicated by the confounding effect of previous smoking, these results suggest that exposure to 50-Hz EM fields is associated with a slight increase in chromatid breaks.

The myxozoan endoparasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae causes temperaturedriven proliferative kidney disease (PKD) in salmonid fishes. Despite the economic and ecological importance of PKD, information about the distribution of the parasite is still scarce. Here, we report for the first time the occurrence of T. bryosalmonae in wild brown trout Salmo trutta and European grayling Thymallus thymallus populations in Finland. We detected T. bryosalmonae at high prevalence in both brown trout and European grayling from the transboundary Finnish− Russian River Koutajoki system (Rivers Oulankajoki, Kuusinkijoki, Kitkajoki, Maaninkajoki, and Juumajoki) in north-eastern Finland. In southern Finland, T. bryosalmonae was detected in River Siuntionjoki young-of-the-year brown trout collected both in 2015 and 2016 (100% prevalence), while the parasite was not observed in fish from 3 other rivers (Ingarskila, Mustajoki, and Vantaanjoki) flowing to the Gulf of Finland. Our results, together with those from recent studies of Atlantic salmon, indicate that T. bryosalmonae is distributed over much higher latitudes in northern Europe than previously appreciated. We expect that increasing water temperatures will likely cause new PKD outbreaks in these more northerly regions in the future. KEY WORDS: Host · Pathogen · Bryozoa · Freshwater environments · DNA · PCR · Salmo trutta · Thymallus thymallus Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 125: [73][74][75][76][77][78] 2017 parasite propagates in blood, until reaching the kidney where further propagation and differentiation takes place (reviewed by Okamura et al. 2011). The clinical symptoms of PKD in fish include renal swelling, exophthalmia, and anemia (Hedrick et al. 1993). Anemia decreases individual performance of fish by lowering metabolic rate and aerobic scope, also causing a reduction in upper thermal tolerance (Bruneaux et al. 2017). As a result, PKD can lead to high mortalities at elevated water temperatures, while fish show less severe clinical signs of disease and are able to survive the infection when water temperature is low (Bettge et al. 2009, Okamura et al. 2011, Schmidt-Posthaus & Wahli 2015.Recent work has demonstrated that T. bryosalmonae is probably widespread in northern Europe (e.g. Kristmundsson et al. 2010, Dash & Vasemägi 2014, Mo & Jørgensen 2017 In this study, we aimed to describe the distribution and prevalence of T. bryosalmonae in brown trout and European grayling in a series of rivers in southern and north-eastern Finland. We used a molecular genetic approach (Dash & Vasemägi 2014) to detect the presence of T. bryosalmonae infection at 13 sites and morphological examination to further characterize the extent of kidney swelling (renal hyperplasia) in 1 particular river system (River Siuntionjoki). MATERIALS AND METHODSWe collected brown trout from 4 rivers in southern Finland (Rivers Ingarskila, Mustajoki, Vantaanjoki, Siuntionjoki; altogether 5 sites) flowing to the Gulf of Finland and...

In a specific case, the magnetic field generated in a building by a nearby power line is usually easy to calculate, although the accuracy of these calculations is sensitive to the quality of source information. To be able to study public health dimensions of magnetic field exposure (e.g., risk of cancer), it is necessary to evaluate the size and exposure of the population at risk. Relatively little quantitative information on public exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields of high-voltage power lines is available. This report describes residential exposure to magnetic fields from 110 kV, 220 kV, and 400 kV power lines in Finland at the national level, including 90% of the total line length in 1989. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to identify the buildings located near the power lines. After determining the distances between the lines and the buildings, historical data on load currents of these lines were used to calculate the magnetic fields. The residential magnetic field histories were then linked to the residents by means of a computerized central population register. The data obtained on personal exposure have also been utilized in a nationwide epidemiological study on magnetic field exposure of power lines and risk of cancer. The methods of exposure assessment and results of the number of buildings near 110 kV, 220 kV, and 400 kV power lines, their average annual magnetic fields, and personal exposure to magnetic fields from these lines are described. We found that 15,600 residents lived in an average residential magnetic field > or = 0.1 microT caused by power lines in 1989. The number of these residents increased fivefold during 1970-1989. We estimated that 0.3% of the population was exposed in their residences to an annual average magnetic flux density from 110 kV, 220 kV, and 400 kV power lines higher than 0.1 microT, the level that the background magnetic flux density in general does not exceed in Finnish homes. Thus, the problem of magnetic field exposure generated by high-voltage lines concerns only a relatively small fraction of the total population in Finland. However, the size and exposure of the population at risk remain somewhat arbitrary in practical multisource situations, as the biological interaction mechanism, the concept of harmful dose, and, in particular, the significance of the duration of exposure are unknown.