EXTREMELY LOW FREQUENCY FIELDS

1 Environmental Health Criteria 238 EXTREMELY LOW FREQUENCY FIELDSP ublished under the joint sponsorship of the International Labour Organization, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, and the World Health report contains the collective views of aninternational group of experts and does notnecessarily represent the decisions or the statedpolicy of the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the InternationalLabour Organization, or the World Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataExtremely low FREQUENCY FIELDS .(Environmental health criteria ; 238) FIELDS . effects. assessment. exposure. Health Organization. for the Sound Management of Chemicals. 978 92 4 157238 5 (NLM classification: QT 34)ISSN 0250-863X World Health Organization 2007 All rights reserved. Publications of the World Health Organization can beobtained from WHO Press, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia,1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (tel.)

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3 Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products aredistinguished by initial capital reasonable precautions have been taken by the World Health Organi-zation to verify the information contained in this publication. However, thepublished material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, eitherexpressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of thematerial lies with the reader. In no event shall the World Health Organizationbe liable for damages arising from its use. This publication contains the collective views of an international group ofexperts and does not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policyof the World Health in Spain iiiEnvironmental Health CriteriaCONTENTSPREAMBLE ..xiThe WHO Environmental Health Criteria Programme ..xiElectromagnetic FIELDS .. Low FREQUENCY Environmental Health in the WHO Expert Working Groups.

4 AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER .. Sources, measurements and Electric and magnetic FIELDS inside the Biophysical mechanisms .. Neurobehaviour .. Neuroendocrine system .. Neurodegenerative disorders .. Cardiovascular disorders .. Immunology and haematology .. Reproduction and Health risk Protective measures .. for research .. Sources, measurements and Dosimetry .. Biophysical mechanisms .. Neurobehaviour .. Neuroendocrine system .. Neurodegenerative disorders .. Cardiovascular disorders .. Immunology and haematology .. Reproduction and Protective measures .. 182 SOURCES, MEASUREMENTS AND and magnetic FIELDS .. The field concept .. Quantities and units .. Time variation, harmonics and Perturbations to FIELDS , shielding .. of alternating FIELDS .. Electric FIELDS .

5 Naturally occurring FIELDS .. Magnetic occurring FIELDS .. of General considerations .. Assessing residential exposure to magnetic FIELDS : methods not involving measurement .. code .. historical Assessing residential exposure to magnetic FIELDS using measurements .. measurements in the home .. measurements in homes .. exposure monitoring .. Assessing exposure to magnetic FIELDS from appliances .. Assessing exposure at schools .. Assessing non-occupational exposure to magnetic FIELDS : discussion .. Assessing occupational exposure to magnetic FIELDS .. Assessing exposure to electric Exposure assessment: conclusions .. 723 ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS INSIDE THE of human and animal bodies .. field Basic interaction mechanisms .. Measurements .. Computations .. Comparison of computations with measurements.

6 field dosimetry .. Basic interaction mechanisms .. Computations uniform field .. Computations non-uniform FIELDS .. Computations inter-laboratory comparison and model of various dosimetry .. 954 BIOPHYSICAL concept of plausibility .. effects, thresholds and dose-response relationships .. currents and FIELDS .. Currents induced by Comparison with noise .. Myelinated nerve fibre stimulation thresholds .. Neural networks and signal detection .. Transients .. Heating effects of induced Summary on induced currents .. direct effects of Ionization and breaking of bonds .. Forces on charged particles .. Forces on magnetic particles .. Free radicals .. Effects with narrow resonance .. precession .. mechanical resonance Stochastic effects of FIELDS .. Surface charge and Contact Deflection of cosmic Effects on airborne of corona ions.

7 Of pollutant particles .. under power lines .. for health .. considerations .. Surface electric charge .. Nerve stimulation .. Retinal function .. Brain electrical activity .. Sleep .. Cognitive Mood and studies .. Depression .. Suicide .. Perception and field detection .. Arousal and aversion .. Brain electrical activity .. Neurotransmitter function .. Cognitive 1606 NEUROENDOCRINE studies .. The pineal hormone: melatonin .. studies .. and occupational Pituitary and other hormones .. studies .. Melatonin .. rodents .. breeders .. human primates .. The pituitary and other hormones .. endocrine studies .. vitro studies .. Effects on melatonin production in vitro .. Effects on the action of melatonin in 1857 NEURODEGENERATIVE disease .. Pathology.

8 Epidemiology .. lateral sclerosis .. Pathology .. Epidemiology .. disease, Multiple Pathology .. Epidemiology .. 2068 CARDIOVASCULAR Acute effects .. Electrocardiogram changes, heart rate, and heart rate Blood .. Heart rate variability hypothesis .. Epidemiologic evidence .. 2209 IMMUNE SYSTEM AND system .. Human studies .. Animal studies .. Cellular studies .. system .. Human studies .. Animal studies .. Cellular studies .. 23710 REPRODUCTION AND .. Maternal exposure .. display terminals .. heated beds .. residential and occupational exposure .. Paternal exposure .. Effects on laboratory mammals .. Electric Magnetic FIELDS .. on prenatal development .. studies .. on mammalian embryos in of paternal exposure .. on non-mammalian Bird embryos.

9 With known Other non-mammalian species .. Conclusion .. 2002 evaluation: summary .. studies .. Childhood and ecologic correlations .. data .. epidemiological evidence: possible explanations .. Adult cancer .. and brain cancer .. cancers .. Epidemiology: conclusions .. in laboratory animals .. Rodent bioassays .. scale, life-time studies .. tumours .. EMF exposure combined with carcinogens .. pre-neoplastic .. tumours .. tumours .. Transplanted Genotoxicity in animals .. Non-genotoxic Animal studies: vitro carcinogenesis studies .. Genotoxic effects .. effects of ELF magnetic FIELDS alone .. genotoxic effects .. Expression of oncogenes and cancer-related genes .. Differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis .. Gap junction intercellular communications .. Free radicals .. In vitro conclusions.

10 34712 HEALTH RISK Hazard Biological versus adverse health effects .. Acute Chronic effects .. Residential Occupational exposures .. assessment .. Threshold levels .. Epidemiological Acute Chronic effects .. Uncertainties in the risk characterization .. mechanisms .. 35513 PROTECTIVE General issues in health policy .. Dealing with environmental health Factors affecting health policy .. input .. Emission and exposure Risk in perspective .. policy approaches .. Existing precautionary ELF policies .. Cost and feasibility .. and recommendations .. Recommendations .. 372 APPENDIX: Quantitative risk assessment for childhood distribution .. Exposure-response analysis using attributable fraction estimates for EMF and childhood leukaemia .. 43116 RESUME ET RECOMMANDATIONS RELATIVES AUX ETUDES A sum.