Genetics and Cytology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Division, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, Egypt.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020;1237:135-149. doi: 10.1007/5584_2019_420.
Recently, there has been attention and controversial debate topic about the effect of low-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human beings. The catalyst for public awareness initiated from the first epidemiological study in 1979 that reported an association between residential EMFs exposure and the incidence of childhood leukemia. For over 40 years, many epidemiological and laboratory investigations were conducted to identify the possible biological effects of low-frequency EMF. Several studies conducted at frequencies 50/60 Hz, which related to generating of electricity from electrical appliances. Experimental studies on low-frequency EMF have provided conflicting data under specific "in vivo" and "in vitro" environments. Some original papers have reported the damaging effect on DNA molecule in EMF-exposed cells. Other studies have suggested no such damage in EMF-exposed cells. Also, the conclusions from other studies were inconclusive. These conflicting findings may attribute to the differences in the apparatus used to generate electromagnetic fields, experimental design, exposure time, genetic endpoints, and biological materials such as cell lines and animal species, strain, and age. As DNA damage is frequently a prerequisite for cancer disease, this review provided an experimental body of evidence on the effect of EMF on genetic material.
最近,人们对低频电磁场(EMF)对人类的影响引起了关注和争议。公众意识的催化剂始于 1979 年的第一项流行病学研究,该研究报告了住宅 EMF 暴露与儿童白血病发病率之间的关联。40 多年来,进行了许多流行病学和实验室研究,以确定低频 EMF 的可能生物学效应。一些在频率为 50/60 Hz 下进行的研究与电器产生的电力有关。在特定的“体内”和“体外”环境下,对低频 EMF 的实验研究提供了相互矛盾的数据。一些原始论文报告了 EMF 暴露细胞中 DNA 分子的损伤效应。其他研究表明 EMF 暴露细胞中没有这种损伤。此外,其他研究的结论也没有定论。这些相互矛盾的发现可能归因于用于产生电磁场的仪器、实验设计、暴露时间、遗传终点以及细胞系和动物物种、品系和年龄等生物材料的差异。由于 DNA 损伤通常是癌症疾病的前提,因此本综述提供了有关 EMF 对遗传物质影响的实验证据。