Can EMF Exposure During Development Leave an Imprint Later in Life?
People in industrialized nations live in an environment of ubiquitous electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, both natural and anthropogenic. The intensity, variety, and geographic distribution of anthropogenic EMF exposures have grown dramatically since the mid 20th century, with many uses serving, a...
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Published in | Electromagnetic biology and medicine Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 217 - 225 |
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Main Author | |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Informa UK Ltd
01.01.2006
Taylor & Francis |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | People in industrialized nations live in an environment of ubiquitous electromagnetic
field (EMF) exposure, both natural and anthropogenic. The intensity, variety, and
geographic distribution of anthropogenic EMF exposures have grown dramatically
since the mid 20th century, with many uses serving, and in close proximity to, human
populations, such as electric power distribution, radio and television transmission,
and more recently, personal cell phone communication units and transmitting
towers. Thus, it is reasonable to ask if this EMF exposure could cause alterations
in the physiology of developing organisms, since they are generally assumed to be
the most sensitive to chemical stressors. In this report, we review work published
beginning in the late 1980s. Initial reports indicated that exposure of chicken eggs
during embryonic development to power-line electric fields of 50 and 60Hz, at
10V/m in air (which is frequently in locations inhabited by humans), could cause
the brain tissues of the hatched chickens to respond differently in a particular test.
More recently, an anecdotal report of human sensitivity to EMF has appeared
that shows a health-related influence of prior exposure history to particular powerline
frequencies in chemically sensitized individuals. These reports open the question
of whether the ambient electromagnetic environment can leave an imprint on
developing organisms and if such imprint changes have the potential for health
consequences. |
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ISSN: | 1536-8378 1536-8386 |
DOI: | 10.1080/15368370601034086 |