Electromagnetic fields and free radicals.The article "Magnetic-Field--Induced DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. Strand Breaks in Brain Cells of the Rat" by Lai and Singh (2004) is interesting. The possibility that exposure to anthropogenic an·thro·po·gen·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to anthropogenesis. 2. Caused by humans: anthropogenic degradation of the environment. nonionizing radiation and/or electromagnetic fields (EMFs) might increase oxidative potential and free radical burden in cells may be a unifying theme for possible adverse biological consequences. Two articles published in EHP EHP abbr. 1. effective horsepower 2. electric horsepower in the past explored two ideas in this regard. In the first article, we (Stevens and Kalkwarf 1990) pointed out a) that ferritin ferritin /fer·ri·tin/ (-i-tin) the iron-apoferritin complex, one of the chief forms in which iron is stored in the body. fer·ri·tin n. has a stable magnetic moment of 3.8 Bohr magnetons, and b) that on the basis of reports from Bawin and Adey (1976) and others that EMFs could alter calcium homeostasis homeostasis Any self-regulating process by which a biological or mechanical system maintains stability while adjusting to changing conditions. Systems in dynamic equilibrium reach a balance in which internal change continuously compensates for external change in a feedback , increases in free radicals could be expected. In the second article, I postulated specifically that "EMF-induced loss of iron from its intracellular storage protein, ferritin, might increase oxidative stress" (Stevens 1993). This is an intriguing area of inquiry at the scientific level that may also have health implications. The author declares he has no competing financial interests. REFERENCES Bawin SM, Adey R. 1976. Sensitivity of calcium binding in cerebral tissue to weak environmental electric fields oscillating at low frequency. Proc Natl Acad. Sci USA 73:1999-2003. Lai H, Singh NP. 2004. Magnetic-field-induced DNA strand breaks in brain cells of the rat. Environ Health Perspect 112:687-694. Stevens RG, Kalkwarf DR. 1990. Iron, radiation, and cancer. Environ Health Perspect 87:291-306. Stevens RG. 1993. Biologically based epidemiological studies of electric power and cancer. Environ Health Perspect 101(suppl 4):93-101. Richard G. Stevens University of Connecticut Health Center The University of Connecticut Health Center is located on the site of the old O'Meara farms in the Farmington Heights section of Farmington, Connecticut. It is home to the University of Connecticut's schools of medicine, dental medicine, and graduate school in biomedical science. Farmington, Connecticut E-mail: bugs@neuron.uchc.edu |
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