Re: Comments on the "possibility" that EMF is a human carcinogen

[Brian_Gaulke@hc-sc.gc.ca]

Brian Gaulke
07/23/98 03:41 PM

Those of you who are interested in the current research attempting to
elucidate mechanisms for EMF effects should peruse the journal
Bioelectromagnetics, published by J.P. Wiley.  Also, visit the
Bioelectromagnetics Society homepage at www.bioelectromagnetics.org.  I am
no expert in this area, but my overall impression from the many articles I
have read over the past couple of years is that the issue of biological
effects of EMFs is exceedingly complex with windows in field strength and
frequency; interactions between electric and magnetic fields; interactions
between static and time-dependent fields depending on relative orientation,
polarization, etc.; dependence on genetic makeup of subject animals or cell
lines; dependence on cofactors; etc.  In addition, it appears that there
are demonstrated effects of EMFs which could easily be related to cancer
rates, such as changes in immune response, effects on cell proliferation,
effects on cell-to-cell communication, etc.  Based on my reading, I would
be very reluctant to conclude that EMFs are either "innocent" or "not
guilty."  They seem likely, in my non-expert opinion, to be implicated in
promotion and/or progression of cancer.  I am also appending a list of
articles from recent issues of the Bioelectromagnetics Journal which have
helped form my opinion.  I would also like to state that arguments against
carcinogenic effects of EMFs based solely on applications of physical laws
to specific models are not very convincing, especially when real effects,
both in vitro and in vivo, are being demonstrated on a regular basis in
what appear to me to be very carefully controlled experiments.

Brian R. Gaulke
Head, Dosimetry Section
Radiation Protection Bureau
Health Canada
Phone:    (613) 941-0143
Fax: (613) 957-0960
E-mail:   Brian_Gaulke@hc-sc.gc.ca

Bioelectromagnetics
Volume 17, Issue 1 (1996)

Magnetic fields at resonant conditions for the hydrogen ion affect neurite
outgrowth in PC-12 cells: A test of the ion parametric resonance model;
María A. Trillo1, Alejandro Ubeda, Janie P. Blanchard, Dennis E. House,
Carl F. Blackman

Raman spectroscopic evidence for structural changes in poly-L-lysine
induced by an approximately 50 mT static magnetic field; Surendra P.
Verma1, Ronald B. Goldner

Effect of low-intensity millimeter wave electromagnetic radiation on
regeneration of the sciatic nerve in rats; L.I. Kolosova1, G.N. Akoev, V.D.
Avelev, O.V. Riabchikova, K.S. Babu

Lorentz approach to static magnetic field effects on bound-ion dynamics and
binding kinetics: Thermal noise considerations; D. J. Muehsam1, A. A.
Pilla1

Circadian locomotor activity of Musca flies: Recording method and effects
of 10 Hz square-wave electric fields; Wolfgang Engelmann, Winfried
Hellrung, Anders Johnsson

Volume 17, Issue 2 (1996)

Behavioural evidence that magnetic field effects in the land snail, Cepaea
nemoralis, might not depend on magnetite or induced electric currents;
Frank S. Prato, Martin Kavaliers, Jeffrey J. L. Carson

Acute effects of 50 Hz magnetic field exposure on human visual task and
cardiovascular performance; Craig J. Whittington, John V. Podd, Bruce R.
Rapley

Effects of 60 Hz electromagnetic fields on early growth in three plant
species and a replication of previous results; Mark S. Davies

Volume 17, Issue 3 (1996)

Effect on the immune system of mice exposed chronically to 50 Hz
amplitude-modulated 2.45 Ghz microwaves; Erzsébet Elekes, György Thuróczy,
László D. Szabó

Volume 17, Issue 4 (1996)

Effects of pulsed magnetic fields on neurite outgrowth from chick embryo
dorsal root ganglia; B. Greenebaum, C.H. Sutton, M. Subramanian Vadula,
J.H. Battocletti, T. Swiontek, J. DeKeyser, B.F. Sisken

Stimulation of Ca2+ influx in rat pituitary cells under exposure to a 50 Hz
magnetic field; Elisabeth Barbier, Bernard Veyret, Bernard Dufy

Resonance effect of millimeter waves in the power range from 10-19 to 3 ×
10-3 W/cm2 on Escherichia coli cells at different concentrations; I.Y.
Belyaev, V.S. Shcheglov, Y.D. Alipov, V.A. Polunin
Environmental magnetic fields change complementary DNA synthesis in
cell-free systems; Eiichiro Hirakawa, Masaki Ohmori, Wendell D. Winters

Volume 17, Issue 5 (1996)

EMF and current cancer concepts; Robert Kavet

Exposure to strong static magnetic field slows the growth of human cancer
cells in vitro; Raymond R. Raylman, Anaira C. Clavo, Richard L. Wahl

Differential modulation of natural and adaptive immunity in fischer rats
exposed for 6 weeks to 60 Hz linear sinusoidal continuous-wave magnetic
fields; Lyna Tremblay, Michel Houde, Ginette Mercier, Jacky Gagnon,
Rosemonde Mandeville

Difference in frequency spectrum of extremely-low-frequency effects on the
genome conformational state of AB1157 and EMG2 E. coli cells; Y.D. Alipov,
I.Y. Belyaev

Extremely-low-frequency magnetic fields disrupt rhythmic slow activity in
rat hippocampal slices; S.M. Bawin1, W.M. Satmary, R.A. Jones, W.R. Adey,
G. Zimmerman

Volume 17, Issue 6 (1996)

Activation-dependent and biphasic electromagnetic field effects: Model
based on cooperative enzyme kinetics in cellular signaling; C. Eichwald, J.
Walleczek

Coronary heart diseases: Assessment of risk associated with work exposure
to ultralow-frequency magnetic fields; N.G. Ptitsyna1, G. Villoresi, Y.A.
Kopytenko, V.A. Kudrin, M.I. Tyasto, E.A. Kopytenko, N. Iucci, P.M.
Voronov, D.B. Zaitsev

Electric fields and proliferation in a chronic wound model; Robert Goldman,
Solomon Pollack

Weak extremely-low-frequency magnetic field-induced regeneration anomalies
in the planarian Dugesia tigrina; K.A. Jenrow, C.H. Smith, A.R. Liboff

Spatial learning deficit in the rat after exposure to a 60 Hz magnetic
field; Henry Lai1

Effect of continuous-wave and amplitude-modulated 2.45 GHz microwave
radiation on the liver and brain aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases of in
utero exposed mice; Györgyi Kubinyi, György Thuróczy, József Bakos,
Erzsébet Bölöni, Hanna Sinay, László D Szabó

Protein kinase C activity is altered in HL60 cells exposed to 60 Hz AC
electric fields; O. Holian, R.D. Astumian, R.C. Lee, H.M. Reyes, B.M.
Attar, R.J. Walter

Volume 18, Issue 1 (1997)

Mechanism of action of weak electromagnetic field on ionic currents in
aqueous solutions of amino acids; V.V. Novikov, A.V. Karnaukhov

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and occupational exposure to electromagnetic
fields; Z. Davanipour, E. Sobel, J.D. Bowman, Z. Qian, A.D. Will

Histological changes during development of the cerebellum in the chick
embryo exposed to a static magnetic field; Auxiliadora Espinar, Veronica
Piera, Amparo Carmona, Juan M. Guerrero

Cell-cycle kinetics of friend erythroleukemia cells in a magnetically
shielded room and in a low-frequency/low-intensity magnetic field; T.
Eremenko, C. Esposito, A. Pasquarelli, E. Pasquali, P. Volpe1

Effects of a low-voltage static electric field on energy metabolism in
astrocytes; Rong Huang, Liang Peng, Leif Hertz

Volume 18, Issue 2 (1997)

Do electromagnetic fields interact directly with DNA?; Martin Blank, Reba
Goodman

In vitro effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields on oxidatively damaged rabbit red

blood cells; Mara Fiorani, Beatrice Biagiarelli, Flavio Vetrano, Gianluca
Guidi, Marina Dachŕ, Vilberto Stocchi

Role of modulation on the effect of microwaves on ornithine decarboxylase
activity in L929 cells; L. Miguel Penafiel, Theodore Litovitz, David
Krause, Abiy Desta, J. Michael Mullins

Acute exposure to a 60 Hz magnetic field increases DNA strand breaks in rat
brain cells; Henry Lai1, Narendra P. Singh

Action of a 50 Hz magnetic field on proliferation of cells in culture;
Jutta Schimmelpfeng, Hermann Dertinger

Molecular wring resonances in chain molecules; H. Bohr, S. Brunak, J. Bohr

Urinary 6-sulphatoxymelatonin excretion is increased in rats after 24 hours
of exposure to vertical 50 Hz, 100 T magnetic field; József Bakos, Noémi
Nagy, György Thuróczy, László D. Szabó

Volume 18, Issue 3 (1997)

Mechanical and electrical interactions in bone remodeling; Joseph A.
Spadaro
Serum plays a critical role in modulating [Ca2+]c of primary culture bone
cells exposed to weak ion-resonance magnetic fields; Kirk A. Reinbold,
Solomon R. Pollack

Effects of low frequency pulsed electrical current on keratinocytes in
vitro; M. Hinsenkamp, A. Jercinovic, Ch. de Graef, F. Wilaert, M. Heenen

Applied DC magnetic fields cause alterations in the time of cell divisions
and developmental abnormalities in early sea urchin embryos; Michael Levin,
Susan G. Ernst

Effects of low-intensity AC and/or DC electromagnetic fields on cell
attachment and induction of apoptosis; Norman C. Blumenthal, John Ricci,
Lance Breger, Arturo Zychlinsky, Harrison Solomon, Guo-Gang Chen, Dimitry
Kuznetsov, Roman Dorfman

Light-dependent and -independent behavioral effects of extremely low
frequency magnetic fields in a land snail are consistent with a parametric
resonance mechanism; Frank S. Prato, Martin Kavaliers, Anthony P. Cullen,
Alex W. Thomas

Volume 18, Issue 4 (1997)

Search for frequency-specific effects of millimeter-wave radiation on
isolated nerve function; A.G. Pakhomov, H.K. Prol, S.P. Mathur, Y. Akyel,
C.B.G. Campbell

Volume 18, Issue 5 (1997)

Bioelectric potential gradients may initiate cell cycling: ELF and zeta
potential gradients may mimic this effect; J. Alan Beech

The effects of 50 Hz magnetic field exposure on dimethylbenz()anthracene
induced thymic lymphoma/leukemia in mice; Y.H. Shen, B.J. Shao, H. Chiang,
Y.D. Fu, M. Yu

The role of temporal sensing in bioelectromagnetic effects; T.A. Litovitz,
M. Penafiel, D. Krause, D. Zhang, J.M. Mullins

Volume 18, Issue 6 (1997)

Increased resorptions in CBA mice exposed to low-frequency magnetic fields:
An attempt to replicate earlier observations; Jukka Juutilainen, Hannele
Huuskonen, Hannu Komulainen

Mortality of plastic-ware workers exposed to radiofrequencies; Susanna
Lagorio, Sonia Rossi, Paolo Vecchia, Marco De Santis, Lucia Bastianini,
Michele Fusilli, Alvaro Ferrucci, Enrico Desideri, Pietro Comba

Bioeffects induced by exposure to microwaves are mitigated by superposition
of ELF noise; T.A. Litovitz, L.M. Penafiel, J.M. Farrel, D. Krause, R.
Meister, J.M. Mullins

The effect of pulsed and sinusoidal magnetic fields on the morphology of
developing chick embryos; J.M. Farrell, T.L. Litovitz, M. Penafiel, C.J.
Montrose, P. Doinov, M. Barber, K.M. Brown, T.A. Litovitz

Melatonin and a spin-trap compound block radiofrequency electromagnetic
radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in rat brain cells; Henry Lai, Narendra
P. Singh

Volume 18, Issue 7 (1997)

Intramembrane protein distribution in cell cultures is affected by 50 Hz
pulsed magnetic fields; Ferdinando Bersani, Fiorenzo Marinelli, Andrea
Ognibene, Alessandro Matteucci, Stefania Cecchi, Spartaco Santi, Stefano
Squarzoni, Nadir Mario Maraldi

Influence of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on the swimming
behavior of ciliates;  Ruth Hemmersbach, Esther Becker, Wilhelm Stockem

Biological effects of continuous exposure of embryos and young chickens to
electromagnetic fields emitted by video display units; B.J. Youbicier-Simo,
F. Boudard, C. Cabaner, M. Bastide

Volume 18, Issue 8 (1997)

Responses of human MG-63 osteosarcoma cell line and human osteoblast-like
cells to pulsed electromagnetic fields; Vincenzo Sollazzo, Gian Carlo
Traina, Monica DeMattei, Agnese Pellati, Furio Pezzetti, Angelo Caruso

Environmental magnetic fields inhibit the antiproliferative action of
tamoxifen and melatonin in a human breast cancer cell line; Joan D.
Harland, Robert P. Liburdy

Alterations of intracellular calcium concentration in mice neuroblastoma
cells by electrical field and UVA; Ingolf Ihrig, Christian Heese, Roland
Glaser

Volume 19, Issue 1 (1998)

Effect of sinusoidally varying magnetic fields on cell proliferation and
adenosine deaminase specific activity; Gila Katsir, Stavanit C. Baram,
Abraham H. Parola

The superposition of a temporally incoherent magnetic field inhibits 60
Hz-induced changes in the ODC activity of developing chick embryos; J.M.
Farrell, M. Barber, D. Krause, T.A. Litovitz

Volume 19, Issue 2 (1998)

Electric fields and proliferation in a dermal wound model: Cell cycle
kinetics; K. Cheng, R.J. Goldman

Effects of 50 Hz EMF exposure on micronucleus formation and apoptosis in
transformed and nontransformed human cell lines; M. Simkó, R. Kriehuber,
D.G. Weiss, R.A. Luben

Cell membrane lipid molecular dynamics in a solenoid versus a magnetically
shielded room; P. Volpe1, T. Parasassi, C. Esposito, G. Ravagnan, A.M.
Giusti, A. Pasquarelli, T. Eremenko

Influence of 50-Hz magnetic fields and ionizing radiation on c-jun and
c-fos oncoproteins; I. Lagroye, J.L. Poncy

A 0.5 G, 60 Hz magnetic field suppresses melatonin production in
pinealocytes; Lee A. Rosen, Ian Barber, Daniel B. Lyle

Increased dexamethasone-induced apoptosis of thymocytes from mice exposed
to long-term extremely low frequency magnetic fields; Sebastiăo J. Ismael,
Fernando Callera, Aglair B. Garcia, Oswaldo Baffa, Roberto P. Falcăo

Volume 19, Issue 3 (1998)

Influence of extremely low frequency magnetic fields on chromosomes and the
mitotic cycle in Vicia faba L., the broad bean; B.I. Rapley, R.E. Rowland,
W.H. Page, J.V. Podd

Volume 19, Issue 4 (1998)

Double blind test of magnetic field effects on neurite outgrowth; C.F.
Blackman, J.P. Blanchard, S.G. Benane, D.E. House, J.A. Elder

Effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (EMF) on collagen
type I mRNA expression and extracellular matrix synthesis of human
osteoblastic cells; K. Heermeier, M. Spanner, J. Träger, R. Gradinger, P.G.
Strauss, W. Kraus, J. Schmidt

Complex effects of long-term 50 Hz magnetic field exposure in vivo on
immune functions in female Sprague-Dawley rats depend on duration of
exposure; Meike Mevissen, Monika Häussler, Marta Szamel, Andreas
Emmendörffer, Susanne Thun-Battersby, Wolfgang Löscher

Volume 19, Issue 5 (1998)

Combined action of static and alternating magnetic fields on ion motion in
a macromolecule:  Theoretical aspects; Mikhail N. Zhadin

Cell density dependent response of E. Coli cells to weak ELF magnetic
fields; I. Ya. Belyaev, Ye. D. Alipov, A. Yu. Matronchik