Sector: electrical engineering

Type of hazard: radiation, work-related health hazards

Catchwords: physical factors, electromagnetic fields, carcinogenic substances

Status: completed 01/1997

Financed by: Berufsgenossenschaft der Feinmechanik und Elektrotechnik

Research institution(s): Institut für Toxikologie und für Biometrie,Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover; Institut für Pathologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover; Institut für Reproduktionsmedizin, Universität Essen

Description, key words:

Cancer caused by low frequency magnetic fields

Aims:

Possible influence of magnetic fields in initiating or promoting tumours will be investigated in the framework of the project "Risks of cancer through weak magnetic fields" conducted by the "Electromagnetic tolerance of biological systems" research group. Goal: checking the findings from earlier pilot tests with small groups of animals using large groups of animals

Activities/methods:

Interdisciplinary work with pathologists, cytogeneticists and biochemists; animal experiments using a breast cancer model on rats; use of flux densities of 100 µT and 10 µT (50 Hz)

Results:

Exposure over 3 months to 50 Hz-magnetic fields over 50 µT leads to a cancer promoting effect in the rat breast cancer model which is connected to a significant nightly reduction in the concentration of melatonin (replication tests are still being carried out).

Publications:

Löscher, W.: Tumor promotion in a breast cancer model by exposure to a weak alternating magnetic field. Cancer Letters 71 (1993), S. 75-8

Expertengespräch "Wirkung niederfrequenter Magnetfelder auf den Organismus". Schrift M 14 der BG Feinmechanik und Elektrotechnik, Köln

last update: 22.08.2000