ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS COULD HELP PROMOTE CANCERS

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS COULD HELP PROMOTE CANCERS

EAST LANSING, Michigan, October 17, 2000 (ENS) -
Electromagnetic fields (EMF), similar to those found in overhead
power lines, can have a biological effect on human cells. This effect
could contribute to the complex cellular process that leads to cancer,
researchers from Michigan State University have found. "Our studies
have contributed to what many other studies have shown, and that
is that there is a biological effect of the energy imparted by
extremely low frequency EMF (ELF-EMF) on living systems," said
James Trosko, a professor of pediatrics and human development.
Most studies on the biological and health effects of ELF-EMF have
been "inconclusive or contradictory," Trosko said. 

"Until now, the weight of the theoretical and experimental evidence
has suggested that ELF-EMF did not have the ability to interact with
genetic material to damage it, thereby causing mutations, which we
know can lead to cancer," said Trosko. What Trosko and his
colleagues found is that ELF-EMF is not a tumor initiator, but rather a
potential tumor promoter. Exposure to ELF-EMF can turn genes on
and off "at inappropriate times, causing these initiated cells to
proliferate when normally they would just sit there quietly doing
nothing," Trosko explained. He cautioned that the study does not
indicate that exposure to power lines and other EMF sources will
cause cancer or other health problems. Trosko pointed out that the
process in which a cell changes from a regular, healthy cell to a
cancerous involves many different molecular and biochemical steps,
of which ELF-EMF exposure could be just one. The work of Trosko
and his colleagues is published in the October issue of "Environmental
Health Perspectives," the journal of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences. 

Story from Environment News Service
http://ens-news.com/ens/oct2000/2000L-10-17-09.html
-- 
.....................................................
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee
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The LOC newsletter "Insights" is posted on our Web site
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