Reiter R J
Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7762, USA.
Rev Environ Health. 1994 Jul-Dec;10(3-4):171-86. doi: 10.1515/reveh.1994.10.3-4.171.
An increased cancer incidence has been reported in individuals living and/or working in an environment in which they are exposed to higher than normal artificial electromagnetic fields. One of the most uniform changes associated with the exposure of animals to either pulsed static geomagnetic fields or to sinusoidal extremely low frequency magnetic fields has been a reduction in high night-time levels of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced especially at night in the pineal gland, a pea-sized organ near the center of the human brain. The high nocturnal production of melatonin leads to elevated blood melatonin levels at night as well. The exposure of humans or animals to light (visible electromagnetic radiation) at night rapidly depresses pineal melatonin production and blood melatonin levels. Likewise, the exposure of animals to various pulsed static and extremely low frequency magnetic fields also reduces melatonin levels. Melatonin is a potent oncostatic agent and it prevents both the initiation and promotion of cancer. Reduction of melatonin, at night, by any means, increases cells' vulnerability to alteration by carcinogenic agents. Thus, if in fact artificial electromagnetic field exposure increases the incidence of cancer in humans, a plausible mechanism could involve a reduction in melatonin which is the consequence of such exposures.
据报道，生活和/或工作在高于正常人工电磁场环境中的个体癌症发病率有所增加。动物暴露于脉冲静态地磁场或正弦极低频磁场中最一致的变化之一是夜间褪黑素水平降低。褪黑素是一种主要在夜间由松果体分泌的激素，松果体是位于人脑中靠近中心位置的一个豌豆大小的器官。夜间褪黑素的大量分泌也会导致夜间血液中褪黑素水平升高。人类或动物在夜间暴露于光（可见电磁辐射）会迅速抑制松果体褪黑素的分泌和血液中褪黑素的水平。同样，动物暴露于各种脉冲静态和极低频磁场也会降低褪黑素水平。褪黑素是一种有效的抑癌剂，它能预防癌症的起始和发展。夜间通过任何方式降低褪黑素水平都会增加细胞对致癌剂改变的易感性。因此，如果事实上人工电磁场暴露会增加人类患癌几率，那么一个合理的机制可能是这种暴露导致褪黑素减少。
