Electric and Magnetic Fields with a Frequency of 50–60 Hz: Assessment of 20 Years of Research

Abstract

Since electricity is used everywhere, exposure to electromagnetic fields of extremely low frequency (50–60 Hz) is unavoidable in our daily life. The question of whether these electromagnetic fields could possibly have any biological or health effects has been a major environmental issue for more than 20 years. At high field strengths, biological effects such as nerve and cardio-stimulation through the induction of currents in the body have been noted. These biological effects have been used in the drafting of standards for public and professional exposure. However, it is the search for effects at low field levels that has been the focus of much research. The main results of this research can be summarised as follows: in vivo studies on whole animals have shown that there is no convincing evidence that electromagnetic fields cause cancer or birth defects, and despite some reduction in pineal and blood melatonin in rodents, studies on lambs, baboons and humans do not support such an effect of electromagnetic fields, while in vitro studies have shown that exposure to electromagnetic fields at usual residential levels (<100 µT) does not produce any significant in vitro effects that could be replicated in independent studies. These results, correlated with the data provided by more recent epidemiological studies, do not show that exposure to electromagnetic fields at the usual residential exposure levels presents a human health hazard.