Exposure of rats to a 50-Hz, 30-mT magnetic field influences neither the frequencies of sister-chromatid exchanges nor proliferation characteristics of cultured peripheral lymphocytes.

The issue of potential carcinogenic effects of extremely low-frequency (50/60-Hz) electric and magnetic fields (EMF) has developed almost completely from epidemiological studies suggesting a link between residential or occupational exposure to EMF and an elevated risk of various cancers. Concerning chromosome-altering effects of EMF, in vitro studies gave ambiguous results and only few in vivo studies have been done. In the present study, we investigated the effect of long-term exposure of rats to a 50-Hz, 30-mT magnetic field (MF) on cell proliferation and frequencies of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) in peripheral lymphocytes of rats following exposure to MF for 7 or 28 days. As a positive control, rats were treated with cyclophosphamide. In contrast to cyclophosphamide, MF exposure influenced neither SCE frequencies nor proliferation characteristics of cultured peripheral lymphocytes.