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Alternating magnetic fields (MF) with Schumann resonance frequencies accompanied the development of living organisms throughout evolution, but today it remains unclear whether they can have a special biological effect in comparison with surrounding non-resonant frequencies. This work shows some stimulating effect of extremely low-frequency MFs on morphometric parameters and the activity of physiological processes in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). It is shown that the MF effect is more pronounced for transient processes - photosynthesis reactions and changes in electrical potential caused by turning on light. For light-induced electrical reactions, the dependence of the severity of the effect on the frequency of the applied MF was demonstrated. It is shown that the most pronounced effect occurs in the 14.3 Hz field, which corresponds to the second harmonic of the Schumann resonance. The predominant sensitivity of signal-regulatory systems gives reason to assume the influence of MFs with Schumann resonance frequencies on the interaction of plants with environmental factors under conditions of a changed electromagnetic environment. Such conditions can occur, for example, with an increase in lightning activity caused by climate change, which serves as the basis for the generation of Schumann resonances, and with the development of artificial ecosystems outside the Earth's atmosphere.

In Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner environments, the continuous Lorentz Force is a potent vestibular stimulation. It is nowadays so well known that it is now identified as Magnetic vestibular stimulation (MVS). Alongside MVS, some authors argue that through induced electric fields, electromagnetic induction could also trigger the vestibular system. Indeed, for decades, vestibular-specific electric stimulations (EVS) have been known to precisely impact all vestibular pathways. Here, we go through the literature, looking at potential time varying magnetic field induced vestibular outcomes in MRI settings and comparing them with EVS-known outcomes. To date, although theoretically induction could trigger vestibular responses the behavioral evidence remains poor. Finally, more vestibular-specific work is needed., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The European Union's Workers' Directive 2013/35/EU on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields specifies action levels (ALs) for external electric and magnetic fields, which should protect against induced tissue-internal electric field strength E above the exposure limit values, the latter being defined in order to prevent tissue stimulation at low frequencies. However, although 2013/35/EU explicitly calls for the protection of 'workers at particular risk' (including workers with metallic implants), the AL specified in the Directive have been derived under the assumption that there are no metallic parts present inside the body. Therefore, in the present work, we analysed the situation of a worker's hand and forearm bearing metallic implants (Herbert screw and volar radius plate) used for osteosynthesis after the most common bone fractures of the hand/forearm, exposed to low frequency magnetic fields. The uniform exposure of the whole hand and forearm as well as the exposure to a specific and widely used device, a deactivator for single-use labels of acousto-magnetic electronic article surveillance systems, were considered based on numerical computations using a high-resolution anatomical hand and forearm model. The results obtained indicated that the maximum induced electric field strength averaged in a volume of 2 mm × 2 mm × 2 mm cube was higher in the presence of the metallic implants by a factor of up to 4.2 for bone tissue and 2.3 for soft tissue compared with the case without an implant. Hence, it is obvious that the local induced electric field strengths may be substantially increased by the implants. The extent of this increase, however, is highly dependent on the implant's position inside the body, the implant's geometry, and the field distribution and orientation with respect to the anatomical structure and the implant.i above the exposure limit values, the latter being defined in order to prevent tissue stimulation at low frequencies. However, although 2013/35/EU explicitly calls for the protection of 'workers at particular risk' (including workers with metallic implants), the AL specified in the Directive have been derived under the assumption that there are no metallic parts present inside the body. Therefore, in the present work, we analysed the situation of a worker's hand and forearm bearing metallic implants (Herbert screw and volar radius plate) used for osteosynthesis after the most common bone fractures of the hand/forearm, exposed to low frequency magnetic fields. The uniform exposure of the whole hand and forearm as well as the exposure to a specific and widely used device, a deactivator for single-use labels of acousto-magnetic electronic article surveillance systems, were considered based on numerical computations using a high-resolution anatomical hand and forearm model. The results obtained indicated that the maximum induced electric field strength averaged in a volume of 2 mm × 2 mm × 2 mm cube was higher in the presence of the metallic implants by a factor of up to 4.2 for bone tissue and 2.3 for soft tissue compared with the case without an implant. Hence, it is obvious that the local induced electric field strengths may be substantially increased by the implants. The extent of this increase, however, is highly dependent on the implant's position inside the body, the implant's geometry, and the field distribution and orientation with respect to the anatomical structure and the implant., (© 2024 Society for Radiological Protection. Published on behalf of SRP by IOP Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.)

Since the establishment of regulations for exposure to extremely low-frequency (0-300) Hz electromagnetic fields, scientific opinion has prioritised the hypothesis that the most important parameter determining cellular behaviour has been intensity, ignoring the other exposure parameters (frequency, time, mode, waveform). This has been reflected in the methodologies of the in vitro articles published and the reviews in which they are included. A scope review was carried out, grouping a total of 79 articles that met the proposed inclusion criteria and studying the effects of the different experiments on viability, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and the cell cycle. These results have been divided and classified by frequency, intensity, exposure time and exposure mode (continuous/intermittent). The results obtained for each of the processes according to the exposure parameter used are shown graphically to highlight the importance of a good methodology in experimental development and the search for mechanisms of action that explain the experimental results, considering not only the criterion of intensity. The consequence of this is a more than necessary revision of current exposure protection regulations for the general population based on the reductionist criterion of intensity.

When the popular means of transportation-high-speed trains meet the increasing rate of pacemaker implantation year by year, the research on the magnetic field environment on the health of pacemaker wearers in the carriage becomes an urgent problem. In this work, models of an electric multiple unit carriage with a pantograph as well as passengers with pacemakers were built by using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The B, Ein and Jin of human heart and other tissues, and the induced voltage (Vin) at the pacemaker electrode were calculated under the pantograph operating condition, so as to assess the effect of its magnetic field on the health of pacemaker wearers. The results showed that Bmax in the carriage without passengers is 121.246 μT, occurs near the window. In the carriage, the Bmax, Ein max and Jin max of heart and body, Vin at the pacemaker electrode of the passenger next to the window are greater than that in the middle of the carriage. The Bmax, Ein max and Jin max of passengers' heart are 11.301μT, 1.613 mV/m and 139.030 μA/m2, respectively. The Bmax, Ein max and Jin max of passengers' body are 12.597μT, 0.788 mV/m and 75.299 μA/m2, respectively. The maximum value of Vin at the tip of the pacemaker electrode of the passengers' is 0.048 mV. The Bmax, Ein max in all tissues of passengers are much smaller than the basic limits of electromagnetic exposure to the public set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation. Vin at the electrode tip of passengers' pacemakers are less than the perception sensitivity set by the International Organization for Standardization. This work illustrated that the magnetic field generated by the pantograph is within the recognized accepted limits for passengers with pacemakers, but we still recommended that passengers wearing pacemakers should stay as far away from windows as possible., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Uninterrupted microscopic observation and real-time imaging of cell behavior during exposure to the stimulus, for example, electric and/or magnetic fields, especially for periods of several days, has been a challenge in experimental bioelectromagnetics due to a lack of proper gas/temperature conditions outside the incubator. Conventional mini-incubators might suffer from stray fields produced by heating elements. We report an in vitro electric and magnetic fields (EMF) exposure system embedded inside a novel under-the-microscope mini-CO 2 -incubator with a unique design to avoid electromagnetic interference from the heating and circulation functions while ensuring the requisite temperature. A unique, reconfigurable array of electrodes and/or coils excited by calculated current distributions among array elements is designed to provide excellent field uniformity and controllable linear or circular polarization (even at very low frequencies) of the EMF within the cell culture. Using standard biochemical assays, long-term cell viability has been verified and compared with a conventional incubator. Cell orientation/migration in three-dimensional culture made of collagen-hydrogels has been successfully observed in vitro, in long-term, and in real-time under the influence of DC electric fields with the device., (© 2023 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Low-frequency (LF) security systems, such as antitheft electronic article surveillance (EAS) gates emit strong magnetic fields that could potentially interfere with neurostimulator operation. Some patients reported pain and shocking sensations near EAS gates, even after they turned off their pulse generator. To investigate the direct voltage induction of EAS systems on neurostimulator leads, we evaluated voltages induced by two EAS systems (14 kHz continuous wave or 58 kHz pulsed) on a 40 cm sacral neurostimulator lead formed in a circular loop attached to a pulse generator that was turned off. The lead and neurostimulator were mounted in a saline-filled rectangular phantom placed within electromagnetic fields emitted by EAS systems. The measured voltage waveforms were applied to computational models of spinal nerve axons to predict whether these voltages may evoke action potentials. Additional in vitro testing was performed on the semicircular lead geometry, to study the effect of lead geometry on EAS induced voltages. While standard neurostimulator testing per ISO 14708-3:2017 recommends electromagnetic compatibility testing with LF magnetic fields for induction of malfunctions of the active electronic circuitry while generating intended stimulating pulses, our results show that close to the EAS antenna frames, the induced voltage on the lead could be strong enough to evoke action potentials, even with the pulse generator turned off. This work suggests that patient reports of pain and shocking sensations when near EAS systems could also be correlated with the direct EAS-induced voltage on neurostimulator lead., (Published 2023. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

As the power performance of electric vehicles continues to improve, the human body may be exposed to electromagnetic threats in the cabin. This study tested an electric vehicle to analyze the low-frequency magnetic field distribution in the cabin and to assess the safety of human low-frequency magnetic field exposure. A simulation analysis of human electromagnetic exposure was carried out to obtain the magnetic flux density, induced electric field strength and induced current density, and the test results were much lower than the limits specified in GB8702-2014 and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, and the relative error between the simulation results and the test results was <15%. This paper investigates the frequency, driving current, vehicle body material and cable layout to explore the law of human body induced electromagnetic field changing with power cable current, and provides theoretical reference for the design of human body low-frequency magnetic field protection., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: To enhance RF safety when implantable medical devices are located within the body coil but outside the imaging region by using a secondary resonator (SR) to reduce electric fields, the corresponding specific absorption rate (SAR), and temperature change during MRI., Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using numerical simulations with an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) phantom and adult human models of Ella and Duke from Virtual Family Models, along with corresponding experimental results of temperature change obtained using the ASTM phantom. The circular SR was designed with an inner diameter of 150 mm and a width of 6 mm. Experimental measurements were carried out using a 3 T Medical Implant Test System (MITS) body coil, electromagnetic (EM) field mapping probes, and an ASTM phantom., Results: The magnitudes of B 1 + (|B 1 were reduced by 15.2% and 5.85% within the volume of interest (VoI) of an ASTM phantom, when a SR that generates opposing electromagnetic fields was utilized. Likewise, the Δ|B + |) and SAR 1g were reduced by 15.2% and 5.85% within the volume of interest (VoI) of an ASTM phantom, when a SR that generates opposing electromagnetic fields was utilized. Likewise, the Δ|B 1 + | and ΔSAR 1g were reduced by up to 56.7% and 57.5% within the VoI of an Ella model containing a copper rod when an opposing SR was used., Conclusion: A novel method employing the designed SR, which generates opposing magnetic fields to partially shield a sample, has been proposed to mitigate the risk of induced-RF heating at the VoI through numerical simulations and corresponding experiments under various conditions at 3.0 T., (© 2023. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Transient electromagnetic Method (TEM) is an efficient geophysical detection technology suitable for detection of urban near-surface space. However, its detection results are well affected by the low resistance anomaly, which interferes with the interpretation of the inversion results. This article used finite element method to simulate the entire process of urban underground pipeline under TEM detection. The causes of interference and the degree of interference under different working conditions were analyzed. The results demonstrate that low resistance anomaly in magnetic field will caused electromagnetic energy absorption and resulting eddy current losses, which lead to a distortion of the primary magnetic field in the vicinity of the pipeline, and formation of a weak field zone beneath the pipeline. The size and shape of the shielding zone are affected by burial depth, transmitter coil diameter, and anomaly size. When the burial depth exceeds 10 times the diameter of the coil or pipeline, the shielding range stabilizes at 1.5-2 times the pipeline's transverse diameter. Moreover, when the pipeline's transverse diameter exceeds twice the transmitter coil diameter, the weak field zone beneath the pipeline will transform into a strong field zone, this is due to the refractive and reflective effects of the electromagnetic field. Finally, experiments were conducted and the inverted results was found to be larger than the actual pipeline diameter, with an error margin similar to that explained by the simulation. These results have implications for high accuracy detecting underground pipelines in urban areas., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 An et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Our study aimed to verify the hypothesis concerning low-frequency magnetic fields (LF-MFs)-related changes in cell viability through the biomechanism(s) based on calcineurin (CaN)-mediated signaling pathways triggered via ROS-like molecules. For experiments, Mono Mac 6 and U937 leukocytic cell lines were chosen and exposed to various LF-MFs and/or puromycin (PMC). The protein expression level of key regulatory proteins of calcium metabolism was examined by Western Blot analysis. In turn, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell viability parameters were evaluated by cytochrome C reduction assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The simultaneous action of applied MF and PMC influenced cell viability in a MF-dependent manner. The changes in cell viability were correlated with protein expression and ROS levels. It was verified experimentally that applied stress stimuli influence cell susceptibility to undergo cell death. Moreover, the evoked bioeffects might be recognized as specific to both types of leukocyte populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study analyses the impact of alternating (magnetic induction B = 30 mT for t = 60 s) and constant magnetic fields (B = 130 mT for t = 17 h) and alternating electric fields (electric current E = 5 kV/cm for t = 60 s) on various growth parameters of soy plants: the germination energy and capacity, plants emergence, the fresh mass of seedlings, protein content (Kjeldahl's method), and photosynthetic parameters (with MINI-PAM 2000 WALTZ Photosynthesis Yield Analyser and a SPAD-502 Chlorophyll Meter). Four cultivars were used: MAVKA, MERLIN, VIOLETTA, and ANUSZKA. Moreover, the advanced Machine Learning processing pipeline was proposed to distinguish the impact of physical factors on photosynthetic parameters. The use of electromagnetic fields had a positive impact on the germination rate in MERLIN seeds. The best results in terms of germination improvement were observed for alternating magnetic field stimulation in all cultivars (p > 0.05). For the VIOLETTA cultivar an increase (p > 0.05) in the emergence and overall number of plants as well as fresh mass was observed after electromagnetic field stimulation. For the MAVKA and MERLIN cultivars, the concentration of proteins in the leaves was noticeably higher in plants grown from seeds stimulated using a constant magnetic field., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Multichannel coil array systems offer precise spatiotemporal electronic steering and patterning of electric and magnetic fields without the physical movement of coils or magnets. This capability could potentially benefit a wide range of biomagnetic applications such as low-intensity noninvasive neuromodulation or magnetic drug delivery. In this regard, the objective of this work is to develop a unique synthesis method, that enabled by a multichannel dense array system, generates complex current pattern distributions not previously reported in the literature. Simulations and experimental results verify that highly curved or irregular (e.g., zig-zag) patterns at singular and multiple sites can be efficiently formed using this method. The synthesis method is composed of three primary components; a pixel cell (basic unit of pattern formation), a template array ("virtual array": code that disseminates the coil current weights to the "physical" dense array), and a hexagonal coordinate system. Low-intensity or low-field magnetic stimulation is identified as a potential application that could benefit from this work in the future and as such is used as an example to frame the research., (© 2023 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Dramatically increased levels of electromagnetic radiation in the environment have raised concerns over the potential health hazards of electromagnetic fields. Various biological effects of magnetic fields have been proposed. Despite decades of intensive research, the molecular mechanisms procuring cellular responses remain largely unknown. The current literature is conflicting with regards to evidence that magnetic fields affect functionality directly at the cellular level. Therefore, a search for potential direct cellular effects of magnetic fields represents a cornerstone that may propose an explanation for potential health hazards associated with magnetic fields. It has been proposed that autofluorescence of HeLa cells is magnetic field sensitive, relying on single-cell imaging kinetic measurements. Here, we investigate the magnetic field sensitivity of an endogenous autofluorescence in HeLa cells. Under the experimental conditions used, magnetic field sensitivity of an endogenous autofluorescence was not observed in HeLa cells. We present a number of arguments indicating why this is the case in the analysis of magnetic field effects based on the imaging of cellular autofluorescence decay. Our work indicates that new methods are required to elucidate the effects of magnetic fields at the cellular level., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Low-frequency magnetic fields exert a significant inhibitory effect on tumor growth and have been developed as a therapeutic modality. However, the effect of a low-frequency magnetic field on the interaction between cells is still poorly understood. This study aimed to preliminarily evaluate the direct effect of magnetic field ditectely on cultured cells and indirect effect mediated by cell-environment (conditioned medium). 293 T cells, Hepg2 cells, A549 cells have been cultured at 37 ± 0.18 °C in presence of an extremely low-frequency magnetic field of 20 Hz, 5-mT. The adherent tumor cells were more sensitive to magnetic field inhibition in the original environment (conditioned medium) with adherence inhibition rate for Hepg2 and A549 estimated at 18% and 30% respectively. The inhibition effect was suppressed when the suspended cells separated or clump density at a low density. The nontumor cell lines showed no inhibitory effect on exposure to a low-frequency magnetic field. The intracellular ion fluorescence (IIF) showed that the magnetic field significantly altered the membrane potential, indicating hyperpolarization of the adherent cells (ΔIIF 293 T cells: - 25%, ΔIIF Hepg2 cells: - 20% and ΔIIF A549 cells: - 13%) and depolarization of the suspended cells (ΔIIF Raji cells: + 9%). In addition, the conditioned media collected after magnetic field exposure acted on unexposed tumor cells and caused inhibition. Our findings might provide a basis for the mechanism of magnetic field interaction between cells and cell environment in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: pulsed fields or waveforms with multi-frequency content have to be assessed with suitable methods. This paper deals with the uncertainty quantification associated to these methods. Approach: among all possible approaches, the weighted peak method (WPM) is widely employed in standards and guidelines, therefore, in this paper, we consider its implementation both in time domain and frequency domain. For the uncertainty quantification the polynomial chaos expansion theory is used. By means of a sensitivity analysis, for several standard waveforms, the parameters with more influence on the exposure index are identified and their sensitivity indices are quantified. The output of the sensitivity analysis is used to set up a parametric analysis with the aim of evaluating the uncertainty propagation of the analyzed methods and, finally, also several measured waveforms generated by a welding gun are tested. Main results: it is shown that the time domain implementation of the weighted peak method provides results in agreement with the basilar mechanisms of electromagnetic induction and electrostimulation. On the opposite, the WPM in frequency domain is found to be too sensitive to parameters that should not influence the exposure index because its weight function includes sharp variations of the phase centered on real zeros and poles. To overcome this issue, a new definition for the phase of the weight function in frequency domain is proposed. Significance: it is shown that the time domain implementation of the WPM is the more accurate and precise. The standard WPM in frequency domain has some issues that can be avoided with the proposed modification of the phase definition of the weight function. Finally, all the codes used in this paper are hosted on a GitHub and can be freely accessed athttps://github.com/giaccone/wpm&#95;uncertainty., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Identification of the external electromagnetic fields and internal hyperfine parameters which optimize the quantum singlet-triplet yield of simplified radical pairs modeled by Schrödinger system with spin Hamiltonians given by the sum of Zeeman interaction and hyperfine coupling interaction terms are analyzed. A method that combines sensitivity analysis with Tikhonov regularization is implemented. Numerical results demonstrate that the quantum singlet-triplet yield of the radical pair system can be significantly reduced if optimization is pursued simultaneously for both external magnetic fields and internal hyperfine parameters. The results may contribute towards understanding the structure-function relationship of a putative magnetoreceptor to manipulate and enhance quantum coherences at room temperature and leveraging biofidelic function to inspire novel quantum devices., Competing Interests: he authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Martino et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Gliomas refer to a group of complicated human brain tumors with a low 5-year survival rate and limited therapeutic options. Extremely low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (ELF-PEMF) is a specific magnetic field featuring almost no side effects. However, the application of ELF-PEMF in the treatment of gliomas is rare. This review summarizes five significant underlying mechanisms including calcium ions, autophagy, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and reactive oxygen species, and applications of ELF-PEMF in glioma treatment from a clinical practice perspective. In addition, the prospects of ELF-PEMF in combination with conventional therapy for the treatment of gliomas are reviewed. This review benefits any specialists, especially oncologists, interested in this new therapy because it can help treat patients with gliomas properly., (© 2022 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Objectives: Electric currents are induced in implanted medical devices with metallic filamentary closed loops (e.g., fixation grids, stents) when exposed to time varying magnetic fields, as those generated during certain diagnostic and therapeutic biomedical treatments. A simplified methodology to efficiently compute these currents, to estimate the altered electromagnetic field distribution in the biological tissues and to assess the consequent biological effects is proposed for low or medium frequency fields., Methods: The proposed methodology is based on decoupling the handling of the filamentary wire and the anatomical body. To do this, a circuital solution is adopted to study the metallic filamentary implant and this solution is inserted in the electromagnetic field solution involving the biological tissues. The Joule losses computed in the implant are then used as a forcing term for the thermal problem defined by the bioheat Pennes' equation. The methodology is validated against a model problem, where a reference solution is available., Results: The proposed simplified methodology is proved to be in good agreement with solutions provided by alternative approaches. In particular, errors in the amplitude of the currents induced in the wires result to be always lower than 3%. After the validation, the methodology is applied to check the interactions between the magnetic field generated by different biomedical devices and a skull grid, which represents a complex filamentary wire implant., Conclusions: The proposed simplified methodology, suitable to be applied to closed loop wires in the low to intermediate frequency range, is found to be sufficiently accurate and easy to apply in realistic exposure scenarios. This modeling tool allows analyzing different types of small implants, from coronary and biliary duct stents to orthopedic grids, under a variety of exposure scenarios., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective . Regulators require that wireless power transfer (WPT) systems and other strong magnetic field sources are compliant with the basic restrictions (BR) defined as the limits of the fields induced in the human body, i.e. the induced electric field/current density/specific absorption rate limits. This can be achieved by demonstrating compliance with the reference levels (RL) defined in air without the human body, i.e. the incident electric/magnetic field limits. Local sources, such as WPT transmitters, generate non-uniform fields that can locally exceed the RL while the induced fields are still well below the BR. In these cases, robust compliance with BR can be demonstrated, generally requiring a large number of simulations. In this study, we proposed an efficient evaluation using a homogeneous phantom and applying a coverage factor to account for the local field enhancements caused by the dielectric contrasts of the highly inhomogeneous human tissues. Approach . The generally applicable coverage factors were derived from a statistical analysis of the field enhancements observed on four magnetic near-field sources placed at different separation distances (2-80 mm) and locations on the back of 12 anatomical models. The field enhancements were characterized by the ratios between the peak induced fields in the anatomical models and those in the homogeneous half-space phantom ( ϵ r = 55, σ = 0.75 S m -1 , ρ = 1,000 kg m -3 ) at the same distance. Main results . The resulting 99th percentile coverage factors range from 1 and 9 depending on the dosimetric quantity. Significance . The use of these coverage factors reduces the compliance testing effort from hundreds of simulations to only one, and makes experimental testing feasible without the support of simulations. The study also demonstrates that running only a few use-case simulations with anatomical models may underestimate the exposure by more than 10 dB., (© 2023 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.)

Case reports indicate that magnets in smartphones could be a source of electromagnetic interference (EMI) for active implantable medical devices (AIMD), which could lead to device malfunction, compromising patient safety. Recognizing this challenge, we implemented a high-fidelity 3D magnetic field mapping (spatial resolution 1 mm) setup using a three-axis Hall probe and teslameter, controlled by a robot (COSI Measure). With this setup, we examined the stray magnetic field of an iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 12, and MagSafe charger to identify sources of magnetic fields for the accurate risk assessment of potential interferences with AIMDs. Our measurements revealed that the stray fields of the annular array of magnets, the wide-angle camera, and the speaker of the smartphones exceeded the 1 mT limit defined by ISO 14117:2019. Our data-driven safety recommendation is that an iPhone 13 Pro should be kept at least 25 mm away from an AIMD to protect it from unwanted EMI interactions. Our study addresses safety concerns due to potential device-device interactions between smartphones and AIMDs and will help to define data-driven safety guidelines. We encourage vendors of electronic consumer products (ECP) to provide information on the magnetic fields of their products and advocate for the inclusion of smartphones in the risk assessment of EMI with AIMDs.

As the number of electric vehicles (EV) increases, the number of EV chargers also increases. Charging infrastructure will be built into our close environment. Because of this, the assessment of the electromagnetic field exposure generated from the charger is an important issue. This paper valuates the electromagnetic field exposure of six EV chargers. To assess the level of exposure of EV chargers, the electromagnetic fields from six chargers were measured and analyzed. In addition, measured electromagnetic field exposure levels were evaluated against ICNIRP guidelines. Higher electromagnetic fields were measured with standard chargers than with fast chargers. For the fast charger in the charging state, the magnetic field increased with the charging current. Electromagnetic field exposures for all six chargers did not exceed standard limits. The results of the assessment of the electromagnetic field exposure of the six EV chargers will contribute to the establishment of standards for the evaluation of the electromagnetic field exposure of the EV chargers in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Concerns about the possible health effects from exposure to weak electric and magnetic (EM) fields have been debated since the early 1960s. It is now well established that biological systems respond to exposure to weak EM fields at energy levels well below the current safety guidelines which result in modification of their functionality without significant changes in temperature. These observations are adding to the debate over what should be done to protect the users of cellular telecommunications systems. Experimental results showing both increases and decreases in cancer cell growth rates and concentration of reactive oxygen species for exposure to nano-Tesla magnetic fields at both radio frequencies (RF) and extra low frequencies (ELF) are cited in this paper. Some theoretical models on how variations in EM exposure can lead to different biological outcomes and how feedback and repair processes often mitigate potential health effects due to long-term exposure to low-level EM energy sources are presented. Of particular interest are the application of the radical pair mechanisms that affect polarization of electrons, and nuclear spins and the importance of time-delayed feedback loops and the timing of perturbations to oscillations in biological systems. These models help account for some of the apparently conflicting experimental results reported and suggest further investigation. These observations are discussed with particular emphasis on setting future safety guidelines for exposure to electromagnetic fields in cellular telecommunications systems. The papers cited are a very small fraction of those in the literature showing both biological effects and no effects from weak electric and magnetic fields., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Barnes and Freeman.)

Expression of proteins in bacterial host cells, particularly E.coli, has gained much attention in recent years. Low expression outcome is the main technical drawback associated with this procedure, further restricting its largescale application in industry. Therefore, application of new amendments or reformations are required before further proceedings. Extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) have shown to significantly affect biological processes, including gene expression, in E.coli. In current study, we investigated whether application of ELF-MF could result in overexpression of proteins in E.coli or not. Cluster of differentiation-22 (CD22), as a model protein, was expressed in E.Coli Rosetta (DE3) under continuous exposure to ELF-MF after applying various concentrations of Isopropyl ß-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) (0.25-1.25 mM) as inducer. The strength and frequency of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) ranged between 15 and 100 mT and 2.5-20 Hz respectively. Interestingly, application of 55 mT EMFs with frequencies ranging from 2.5 to 2.8 Hz significantly enhanced the yield of expression at all studied IPTG concentrations. Contrarily, EMFs with intensities other than 55 mT meaningfully declined protein expression at IPTG concentrations equal to 1 and 1.25 mM. In conclusion, application of specific range of ELF-MFs may be exploited as a new modification for enhancing heterologous expression of proteins in E.coli., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Magnetic resonance (MR) systems are used in academic research laboratories and industrial research fields, besides representing one of the most important imaging modalities in clinical radiology. This technology does not use ionizing radiation, but it cannot be considered without risks. These risks are associated with the working principle of the technique, which mainly involves static magnetic fields that continuously increase-namely, the radiofrequency (RF) field and spatial magnetic field gradient. To prevent electromagnetic hazards, the EU and ICNIRP have defined workers' exposure limits. Several studies that assess health risks for workers and patients of diagnostic MR are reported in the literature, but data on workers' risk evaluation using nuclear MR (NMR) spectroscopy are very poor. Therefore, the aim of this research is the risk assessment of an NMR environment, paying particular attention to workers with active implantable medical devices (AIMDs). Our perspective study consisted of the measurement of the static magnetic field around a 300 MHz (7 T) NMR research spectrometer and the computation of the electric field induced by the movements of an operator. None of the calculated exposure parameters exceeded the threshold limits imposed by legislation for protection against short-term effects of acute occupational exposure, but our results revealed that the level of exposure exceeded the action level threshold limit for workers with AIMD during the execution of tasks requiring the closest proximity to the spectrometer. Moreover, the strong dependence of the induced electric field results from the walking speed models is shown. This case study represents a snapshot of the NMR risk assessment with the specific goal to increase the interest in the safety of NMR environments.

Exposure to magnetic fields from the electronic article surveillance (EAS) gate was evaluated in consideration of the application to epidemiological studies of library workers who are exposed continually to intermediate frequency magnetic fields from the EAS gate. Two types of exposures were investigated. One was transient exposure due to passing through or beside the gate and another was chronic exposure in the room. We measured magnetic fields from five EAS gate models which were commonly used in libraries in Japan. Detailed measurements were performed for two of them in consideration of the phase difference of vector components of magnetic flux density. The polarization of the magnetic field in the gate was investigated with the index of ellipticity. The induced electric field in a human body was numerically calculated for exposures to magnetic fields of the two gate models. The results provide a quantitative understanding of exposures during passing through or by the EAS gate. Magnetic field distribution was measured in a large room for one gate model to quantify the chronic exposure of library workers during the work at the desk. It was found that the magnetic field was distributed as a function of the horizontal distance to the nearest gatepost. The 45-point average value B IEC defined by the IEC standard was suggested to be a useful quantity to characterize the magnitude of the magnetic field from the EAS gate. Exposures to different EAS gates are expected to be compared through this quantity without detailed measurements. These results are expected to provide useful means for exposure assessment of epidemiological studies on the association between the IF-EMF exposure and possible health outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Ikuyo, Esaki, Aimoto, Wake, Yamaguchi-Sekino, Kojimahara, Suzuki and Taki.)

With the wide application of magnetic resonance imaging in hospitals and permanent magnets in household items, people have increased exposure to various types of static magnetic fields (SMFs) with moderate and high intensities, which has caused a considerable amount of public concern. Studies have shown that some aspects of gametogenesis and early embryonic development can be significantly affected by SMFs, while others have shown no effects. This review summarizes the experimental results of moderate to high-intensity SMFs (1 mT-16.7 T) on the reproductive development of different model animals, and we find that the effects of SMFs are variable depending on experimental conditions. In general, the effects of inhomogeneous SMFs seem to be more significant compared to that of homogeneous SMFs, which is likely due to magnetic forces generated by the magnetic field gradient. Moreover, some electromagnetic fields may have induced bioeffects because of nonnegligible gradient and heat effect, which are much reduced in superconducting magnets. We hope this review can provide a starting point for more in-depth analysis of various SMFs on reproduction, which is indispensable for evaluating the safety and potential applications of SMFs on living organisms in the future. © 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society., (© 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Fetal development is vital in the human lifespan. Therefore, it is essential to characterize exposure by a series of typical environmental magnetic and electromagnetic fields. In particular, there has recently been a sharp increase in the twin birth rate. However, lack of appropriate models has prohibited dosimetric evaluation, restricting characterization of the impact of these environmental factors on twins. The present study developed two whole-body pregnant models of 31 and 32 weeks of gestation with twin fetuses and explored several typical exposure scenarios, including 50-Hz uniform magnetic field exposure, local 125-kHz magnetic field (MF), and 13.56-MHz electromagnetic field exposure, as well as wideband planewave radiofrequency (RF) exposure from 20 to 6000 MHz. Finally, dosimetric results were derived. Compared to the singleton pregnancy with similar weeks of gestation, twin fetuses were overexposed at 50-Hz uniform MF, but they were probably underexposed in the RF scenarios with frequencies for wireless communications. Furthermore, the twin fetuses manifested large dosimetric variability compared to the singleton, which was attributed to the incident direction and fetal position. Based on the analysis, the dosimetric results over the entire gestation period were estimated. The results can be helpful to estimate the risk of twin-fetal exposure to electromagnetic fields and examine the conservativeness of the international guidelines.© 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society., (© 2022 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Determination of the levels of the electromagnetic field of frequency between 0 Hz and 300 GHz bands in the working area and the evaluation of the results measured in terms of international standards is now essential according to the regulation of working safety and health. In this study, electromagnetic field measurements were performed in a cleaning product manufacturing factory with 400 workers. Electric and magnetic field measurements were performed at 10 different departments of the factory with extremely low-frequency and broadband (radiofrequency) frequencies. Obtained values are shown and analysed with graphs and compared by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and National Information Technology and Communication Authority (Turkey) limits. Also, an assessment is made for the occupational electromagnetic field levels in the factory and recommendations are suggested for the lowest risk occurrence and providing a healthier working environment for workers., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Electromagnetic interference is a serious and increasing form of environmental pollution, creating many issues in the areas of health care and industrial manufacturing. The performance of high-precision measurement equipment used in health care and the manufacturing industry is sensitive to electromagnetic interference. However, extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELFMF), with a frequency range from 3 to 30 Hz, generated by high-power lines have become the main interference source in high-tech foundries. This paper presents a magnetic cancelling system that works by combining active cancelling technology and passive cancelling technology to reduce the ELFMF around high-precision measurement equipment. The simulation and experimental results show the validity and feasibility of the proposed system.

The association between childhood leukemia and extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) generated by power lines and various electric appliances has been studied extensively during the past 40 years. However, the conditions under which ELF-MF represent a risk factor for leukemia are still unclear. Therefore, we have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the relation between ELF-MF from several sources and childhood leukemia. We have systematically searched Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and DARE to identify each article that has examined the relationship between ELF-MF and childhood leukemia. We have performed a global meta-analysis that takes into account the different measures used to assess magnetic field exposure: magnetic flux density measurements (<0.2 µT vs. >0.2 µT), distances between the child's home and power lines (>200 m vs. <200 m) and wire codings (low current configuration vs. high current configuration). Moreover, meta-analyses either based on magnetic flux densities, on proximity to power lines or on wire codings have been performed. The association between electric appliances and childhood leukemia has also been examined. Of the 863 references identified, 38 studies have been included in our systematic review. Our global meta-analysis indicated an association between childhood leukemia and ELF-MF (21 studies, pooled OR=1.26; 95% CI 1.06-1.49), an association mainly explained by the studies conducted before 2000 (earlier studies: pooled OR=1.51; 95% CI 1.26-1.80 vs. later studies: pooled OR=1.04; 95% CI 0.84-1.29). Our meta-analyses based only on magnetic field measurements indicated that the magnetic flux density threshold associated with childhood leukemia is higher than 0.4 µT (12 studies, >0.4 µT: pooled OR=1.37; 95% CI 1.05-1.80; acute lymphoblastic leukemia alone: seven studies, >0.4 µT: pooled OR=1.88; 95% CI 1.31-2.70). Lower magnetic fields were not associated with leukemia (12 studies, 0.1-0.2 µT: pooled OR=1.04; 95% CI 0.88-1.24; 0.2-0.4 µT: pooled OR=1.07; 95% CI 0.87-1.30). Our meta-analyses based only on distances (five studies) showed that the pooled ORs for living within 50 m and 200 m of power lines were 1.11 (95% CI 0.81-1.52) and 0.98 (95% CI 0.85-1.12), respectively. The pooled OR for living within 50 m of power lines and acute lymphoblastic leukemia analyzed separately was 1.44 (95% CI 0.72-2.88). Our meta-analyses based only on wire codings (five studies) indicated that the pooled OR for the very high current configuration (VHCC) was 1.23 (95% CI 0.72-2.10). Finally, the risk of childhood leukemia was increased after exposure to electric blankets (four studies, pooled OR=2.75; 95% CI 1.71-4.42) and, to a lesser extent, electric clocks (four studies, pooled OR=1.27; 95% CI 1.01-1.60). Our results suggest that ELF-MF higher than 0.4 µT can increase the risk of developing leukemia in children, probably acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Prolonged exposure to electric appliances that generate magnetic fields higher than 0.4 µT like electric blankets is associated with a greater risk of childhood leukemia., (© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

We investigated the effects of extremely-low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs; 50 Hz) on the secretion of cortisol in 14 men (mean age = 38.0 ± 0.9 years) working in extra-high voltage (EHV) substations. The workers dwelt in houses that were close to substations and high-voltage lines. Thus, they had long histories (1-20 years) of long-yerm exposure to ELF-EMFs. Magnetic field strength was recorded using Emdex dosimeters worn by the volunteers day and night for seven days; the one-week geometric mean ranged from 0.1 to 2.6 μT. Blood samples were taken hourly from 20:00 to 08:00 the next morning. Cortisol concentrations and patterns were compared to age-matched, unexposed control subjects whose exposure level was ten times lower. The comparison of the control group (n = 15) and the groups exposed to fields of 0.1-0.3 μT (n = 5) and > 0.3 μT (n = 9), respectively, revealed a significant effect of field intensity on the cortisol secretory pattern. This study strongly suggests that chronic exposure to ELF-EMFs alters the peak-time serum cortisol levels. Studies are required on the effect of this disruption in high-risk populations such as children, elderly people, and patients with cancer., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most-used diagnostic imaging methods worldwide. There are ∼50,000 MRI scanners worldwide each of which involves a minimum of five workers from different disciplines who spend their working days around MRI scanners. This review analyzes the state of the art of literature about the several aspects of the occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in MRI: regulations, literature studies on biological effects, and health surveillance are addressed here in detail, along with a summary of the main approaches for exposure assessment. The original research papers published from 2013 to 2021 in international peer-reviewed journals, in the English language, are analyzed, together with documents published by legislative bodies. The key points for each topic are identified and described together with useful tips for precise safeguarding of MRI operators, in terms of exposure assessment, studies on biological effects, and health surveillance., (© 2021. International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.)

Residential exposure to magnetic fields generated by overhead high-voltage power lines, continues to be a matter of social concern and, for the scientific community, a challenge to model this exposure accurately enough to reliably detect even small effects in large populations complexes. In any expression of the magnetic field intensity, the source-receiver distance is a determining variable, especially in an environment closer to the electrical installation and critical with the existence of significant unevenness in the terrain. However, MF exposure studies adopt, due to their complexity, simplifications of reality where even sometimes the terrain relief and the buckling of the line are not considered. The application of 3D techniques with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows us to address this problem. This article presents a model for generating magnetic field intensity surfaces from high-precision terrain elevation data. The series expansion of the Biot-Savart law to an infinite rectilinear conductor with variable height according to the catenary described by the cables using ArcGIS software is applied to calculate the magnetic field. For the validation, 69 control points (1035 field measurements) were used in a free urban area and another 28 points (420 field measurements) in a built-up urban area with complex relief. Good estimates were obtained, although with differences in both areas. With MAPE 9.65% and 19.51%, R2 = 0.922 and 0.949, RMSE = 0.154 and 0.094 μT, respectively. Furthermore, 86% of the points were correctly classified according to usual exposure percentiles. However, the use of a 5 m resolution digital terrain model to obtain high-precision elevation data was an indispensable condition for the good performance of our model. The result as a continuous surface of magnetic field values at the real elevation of the ground can contribute significantly to the development of new environmental and public health studies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rapid population aging has led to a global burden of late-life diseases. As the largest risk factor for a multitude of age-related diseases, aging is not only the result of genotype but also closely related to external factors. With the rapid expansion in the usage of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), the effect of EMFs on aging has also attracted attention. Cells are the basic unit of organs and body tissues, and cellular senescence plays an important role in the aging process. The effect of EMFs on cellular senescence has been investigated in a few studies, but the information is limited, and the results are inconsistent; thus, further investigation is required. In this study, we investigated the effect of 10 Hz pulsed magnetic fields (MFs) on cellular senescence in a 2BS cell line, isolated from human fetal lung fibroblasts, and found that intermittent (1 d on/1 d off) exposure to 10 Hz pulsed MFs at 1.0 mT for 2 weeks induced DNA damage, but no other significant phenotype of cellular senescence in 2BS cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Sun, Huang, Qin, Zhang, Wang, Xu, Ying and Mao.)

High-Intensity Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (HI-PEMF) treatment is an emerging noninvasive and contactless alternative to conventional electroporation, since the electric field inside the tissue is induced remotely by external pulsed magnetic field. Recently, HI-PEMF was applied for delivering siRNA molecules to silence enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in tumors in vivo. Still, delivered siRNA molecules were 21 base pairs long, which is 200-times smaller compared to nucleic acids such as plasmid DNA (pDNA) that are delivered in gene therapies to various targets to generate therapeutic effect. In our study, we demonstrate the use HI-PEMF treatment as a feasible noninvasive approach to achieve in vivo transfection by enabling the transport of larger molecules such as pDNA encoding EGFP into muscle and skin. We obtained a long-term expression of EGFP in the muscle and skin after HI-PEMF, in some mice even up to 230 days and up to 190 days, respectively. Histological analysis showed significantly less infiltration of inflammatory mononuclear cells in muscle tissue after the delivery of pEGFP using HI-PEMF compared to conventional gene electrotransfer. Furthermore, the antitumor effectiveness using HI-PEMF for electrotransfer of therapeutic plasmid, i.e., silencing MCAM was demonstrated. In conclusion, feasibility of HI-PEMF was demonstrated for transfection of different tissues (muscle, skin, tumor) and could have great potential in gene therapy and in DNA vaccination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: There has been an increasing interest in researching on the effects of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on living systems. The mechanism of action of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields on organisms has not been established. One of the hypotheses is related to induce changes in oxidative balance. In this study, we measured the effects of chronic unpredictable mild stress induced-oxidative balance of rat's brain exposed to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields., Methods: A first experiment was conducted to find out if 14 days of chronic unpredictable mild stress caused oxidative unbalance in male Wistar rat's brain. Catalase activity, reduced glutathione concentration, and lipoperoxidation were measured in cerebrum and cerebellum. In the second experiment, we investigate the effects of 7 days extremely low-frequency magnetic fields exposure on animals stressed and unstressed., Results: The main results obtained were a significant increase in the catalase activity and reduced glutathione concentration on the cerebrum of animals where the chronic unpredictable mild stress were suspended at day 14 and then exposed 7 days to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields. Interestingly, the same treatment decreases the lipoperoxidation in the cerebrum. The stressed animals that received concomitant extremely low frequency magnetic fields exposure showed an oxidative status like stressed animals by 21 days. Thus, no changes were observed on the chronic unpredictable mild stress induced-oxidative damage in the rat's cerebrum by the extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure together with chronic unpredictable mild stress., Conclusions: The extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure can partially restore the cerebrum antioxidant system of previously stressed animals., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In recent decades, the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) in therapeutics has been one of the main fields of activity in the bioelectromagnetics arena. Nevertheless, progress in this area has been hindered by the lack of consensus on a biophysical mechanism of interaction that can satisfactorily explain how low-level, non-thermal electromagnetic fields would be able to sufficiently affect chemistry as to elicit biological effects in living organisms. This specifically applies in cases where the induced electric fields are too small to generate a biological response of any consequence. A growing body of experimental observations that would explain the nature of these effects speaks strongly about the involvement of a theory known as the radical pair mechanism (RPM). This mechanism explains how a pair of reactive oxygen species with distinct chemical fate can be influenced by a low-level external magnetic field through Zeeman and hyperfine interactions. So far, a study of the effects of complex spatiotemporal signals within the context of the RPM has not been performed. Here, we present a computational investigation of such effects by utilizing a generic PEMF test signal and RPM models of different complexity. Surprisingly, our results show how substantially different chemical results can be obtained within ranges that depend on the specific orientation of the PEMF test signal with respect to the background static magnetic field, its waveform, and both of their amplitudes. These results provide a basis for explaining the distinctive biological relevance of PEMF signals on radical pair chemical reactions. © 2021 Bioelectromagnetics Society., (© 2021 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Magnetic confinement nuclear fusion is an important way to realize controllable nuclear fusion. Due to the large current and complicated coil arrangement, there is a complicated electromagnetic environment around the fusion device. In this paper, the B-dot sensor is used to measure the magnetic field, the D-dot sensor is used to measure the electric field, the MAXWELL electromagnetic simulation software is used to simulate the electromagnetic field strength; the simulation and measurement of the spherical Tokamak SUNIST device and the measurement of MARX generator are carried out, then we give corresponding electromagnetic protection suggestions., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Although experimental results proved the feasibility of using time-varying magnetic field as a contactless cells permeabilization method, the underlying mechanism is still poorly understood. In this study a numerical analysis of the time-dependent transmembrane potential (TMP) at cell membranes during permeabilization by time-varying magnetic fields was proposed, and a first quantification of mechanical stress induced by the magnetic and electric fields, hypothesized to play an important role in the permeabilization mechanism, was carried out., Methods: Starting from the simulation of real in vitro experimental conditions, the analysis was widened quantifying the influence of pulse frequency, cell dimension and distance of the cell from the magnetic field source. The mechanical pressure on cell membrane due to the interaction between free charges and induced electric field and due to the gradient of the magnetic field was quantified in all those conditions in which the TMP values were not high enough to cause membrane permeabilization., Results: TMP values induced by typical in-vitro experimental conditions were far below the values needed for membrane permeabilization, with a strong dependence on pulse frequency and distance of the cell from the coil., Conclusion: The preliminary assessment of the mechanical pressure on cell membrane showed that stress values evaluated in conditions in which TMP values were too low to cause membrane permeabilization were comparable to those known to influence the pores opening mechanisms. Results represent a significant step towards a better comprehension of the mechanism underlying cell membrane permeabilization by time-varying magnetic fields., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this research paper is to estimate the mean value of extremely low frequency (ELF) exposure in schools in Greece. Detailed ELF measurements were conducted and analyzed by the Weighted Peak Method (WPM), which estimates the overall contribution of electromagnetic waves from 1 Hz to 400 kHz, including their phases. A sample of 243 schools was sampled to calculate. The mean value of ELF magnetic fields (MFs) measured in these two groups comprising 243 schools was the principal focus of interest. ELF MF measurements taken in schools situated both far from and near ELF sources had mean and maximum values well below the current International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) standard. The mean value of ELF MFs from all sources within the sampled schools in Greece was 0.21 μΤ. A statically significant difference between the mean MFs measured in the two groups of schools was found, but the MFs in both groups were much lower than the ICNIRP standard., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The use of magnetic fields in the intermediate-frequency (IF) range to wirelessly charge electric cars with power transfer in the kilowatt range has become increasingly widespread, leading to unavoidable stray fields in the microtesla range. Only a handful of studies have assessed the potential biological risks associated with exposure to such fields. We exposed female mice (n = 80 per group) to either 20 kHz, 360 µT (rms), or sham in Helmholtz coils to conduct a blind design study. Exposure started at 3 months of age (24 h/day). Body mass was recorded every 1-2 weeks. At 10 months of age, three behavioral tests were performed on 24 animals per group. Three months later, the mice were sacrificed and organs (brain, liver, kidney, spleen, and lung) were removed and prepared for microscopic analysis. Our findings demonstrate no differences in the development of body mass and survival rates (96% and 89%, respectively). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in tumor incidence rates. When it comes to behavioral tests, the 8-arm maze results revealed no significant differences. In contrast, the Rotarod data were significantly (P < 0.001) different with longer retention times seen in the exposed mice. In the open field, the number of supported rears was significantly lower (P < 0.01), whereas the other endpoints did not show any differences. Overall, our data reveal no adverse effects of exposure to 20 kHz, 360 µT on the development and tumor incidences, while the significant differences in the behavioral tests may indicate higher levels of alertness in mice., (© 2021 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Bioelectromagnetics Society.)

Introduction : Electromagnetic interference (EMI) of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIED) can lead to malfunctions and pose a danger for implant carriers. The increased use of DC technologies, e.g. in electric mobility, creates more static fields representing an increasing hazard for implant carriers. Areas covered : A combination of approaches was used to determine thresholds for EMI by static fields. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant EMI mechanisms and to extract possible thresholds. The literature search revealed four interference mechanisms caused by static magnetic fields and none for static electric fields. Due to the scarce information on motion-induced EMI, numerical simulations were performed to obtain a threshold. The simulation results were evaluated using medical product standards and benchmark tests on commercially available CIEDs. The results show that motion-induced interference should not occur below the activation of the magnetic safety switch (reed switch or Hall-effect sensor, MSS). Expert opinion : The determined threshold for motion-induced EMI at 24.8 mT shows that the MSS activation is still the most relevant mechanism that can occur at 0.8 mT. Limit values for the general population do not protect implant carriers from EMI.

This work is the result of a campaign of measures of exposure levels to magnetic field gradients (GMF) generated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tomographs, to which both healthcare staff and any persons accompanying patients who remain inside the magnet room are exposed while performing a diagnostic Investigation. The study was conducted on three MRI tomographs with a static magnetic induction field up to 1.5 T installed in two hospitals of Lombardy. The study aims to characterize electromagnetic emissions within the magnet room and the definition of a measurement method suitable for assessing the level of exposure of healthcare personnel and any persons accompanying patients. The measurements performed concerned the determination of the weighted peak index for magnetic induction, due to the diagnostic GMF, relating to the action levels for the workers and the reference levels for the general population, in force in the European Union. Thanks to the defined experimental setup, the use of two different measuring instruments, and the software resources of the WEBNIR platform, it was possible to identify, for both categories of exposed persons, the "clearance" space, i.e., the distance from the magnet of the tomograph that guarantees health protection concerning the exposure to GMF, according to the indications of the standards in force. The method used showed that the exposure levels to GMF are substantially safe for professionally exposed workers who do not carry specific risks. For workers particularly sensitive to the specific risk, as well as to individuals part of the population, it is however advisable to maintain a distance from the magnet of about one meter to prevent sensorial neuromuscular stimulation effects.

Introduction . This research is an attempt to show the role of interior layout of equipment in generating magnetic fields. Materials and methods . The levels of an extremely low-frequency magnetic field were measured in accordance with Standard No. IEEE 644:1994 in three substations and a control building in a petrochemical power plant in southern Iran. Then, workers' occupational exposure (time-weighted average [TWA]) was calculated and the sources of maximum magnetic field generation at each place were identified. Their interior design was changed to achieve the optimal layout of equipment subsequently; the workers' TWA was recalculated for the new situation. Results . The obtained results showed that electrical engineers and technicians were exposed to the maximum TWA of 10.14 μT. The operators in the control room were exposed to the lowest TWA of 0.84 μT. The results also showed that after the change of interior design and proper layout design of the equipment in the substations, the TWA was reduced by 0.73 μT. Conclusion . The research findings revealed that the most harmonious arrangement of equipment in an industrial unit plays a major role in reducing the exposure of workers to magnetic fields and ultimately increases the level of their health in the workplace.

Background: Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) may have harmful effects on biologic systems and has raised many concerns in the last decades., Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities., Methods: This study was conducted on 115 power plant workers as the exposed group and 145 office workers as the non-exposed group. The levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (Cat), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured in the serum of all subjects. Exposure to ELF-EMFs was measured based on spot measurements and the IEEE Std C95.3.1 standard., Results: The levels of MDA, SOD, and Cat in the exposed group were significantly higher than in the non-exposed group. However, the level of TAC was not significantly different between the exposed (2.45±1.02) and non-exposed (2.21±1.07) groups. The levels of MDA and SOD were higher among workers with higher exposure to electric fields than workers with low exposure. All oxidative stress indicators increased with increased exposure to magnetic fields, except TAC., Conclusions: The antioxidant system imbalance among power plant workers may be related to long term occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields.

The objective of this work is to evaluate the safety of the electromagnetic environment in the carriage of high-speed trains exposed to power cables when the train is full of passengers. The electromagnetic model of a real carriage, two sets of power cables and the 84 passengers were set up by using COMSOL Multiphysics software based on CRH5. The distributions of induced electric and magnetic fields in the carriage, inside and on the surface of passengers were investigated. The results show that the induced electric and magnetic fields on the windows are greater than on the passengers and the max value of induced magnetic field is 2627.10 µT, and the max value of induced electric field is 2.0 × 105 mV m-1. The maximum values of the induced electric and magnetic fields in 84 passengers' brain tissues were obtained, and it was found that the maximum values occurred in the third row passengers. The distribution of induced electric and magnetic fields at the cross-section of passengers' heads in the third row was also obtained, and we found that the passengers at the window side were greater than those of aisle passengers. In the third row, the maximum values of the induced electric and magnetic fields in the head of two passengers near the window were 94.6 mV m-1, 90.9 µT, 96.3 mV m-1, and 90.4 µT, respectively. We also found the all data were below the ICNIRP Reference Levels, which indicates the electromagnetic exposure caused by power cables when the train is full of passengers will not threat passengers' health., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.)

The hypothesis being tested was that the exposure of female workers to the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by an induction hob (IHb) meeting public exposure limitations (evaluated according to EN/IEC 62233) is also compliant with European Directive 2013/35/EU on workers' protection. The electric field induced in three female models in a realistic ergonomically comfortable posture near IHb was evaluated using numerical models of 25 kHz EMF sources (IHb covered by cooking vessels). It was found that, in analyzed ergonomically comfortable exposure situations, the electric field induced in the user's body may exceed public and workers' limits when the vessels do not match the dimensions of IHb's heating zone. This can even be the case when IHb complies with Conformité Européenne labeling requirements (i.e. EMF exposure falls below public limits 30 cm away from IHb edge). In the 36 exposure scenarios analyzed, statistically significant differences were found when the distances from IHb and vessel dimension, and the height and body mass index of models in exposure scenarios varied, but not between the use of models of pregnant and nonpregnant women. The use of IHb complying with European requirements on general public protection does not ensure that EMF exposure to workers complies with the relevant limits. Adequate protection measures need to address these occupational environmental hazards. © 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society., (© 2020 Bioelectromagnetics Society.)