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Chronic exposure to ELF magnetic fields during night sleep with electric sheet: Effects on diurnal melatonin rhythms in men
Author(s) -
Hong Seung Cheol,
Kurokawa Yoshika,
Kabuto Michinori,
Ohtsuka Ryutaro
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/1521-186x(200102)22:2<138::aid-bem1017>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - melatonin , circadian rhythm , nocturnal , bioelectromagnetics , rhythm , excretion , endocrinology , extremely low frequency , medicine , pineal gland , physiology , physics , electromagnetic field , quantum mechanics
The possible effects of repeated night‐time exposure to an extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF–MF) on melatonin were investigated in nine healthy male subjects aged 23–37 yr. The 16‐week experiment consisted of 3 weeks of pre‐exposure, 11 weeks of night‐time exposure to MF generated from a nonheated electric sheet (ES), and 2 weeks of post‐exposure recovery observation. The average MF intensity (rms, mainly 50 Hz AC) on the surface of the sheet was 0.7 μT at the head, 8.3 μT at the waist, and 3.5 μT at the feet of the subject. For each of the urine samples collected 5 times a day on scheduled sampling days, the urinary excretion rate (ng/h) of melatonin was determined, and 24 h rhythms were extracted for each subject and each experimental period (pre‐exposure, first half and latter half exposure, and post‐exposure periods) by the method of complex cosine curve fitting. Although estimates of the peak height, acrophase, and total daily amount of melatonin were characterized by significant variations among individual subjects, they did not reveal any statistically significant difference between exposure periods and nonexposure periods. Thus, the present study indicates that any profound effect of the MF originating from an ES on nocturnal melatonin production and its circadian rhythm is unlikely. Bioelectromagnetics 22:138–143, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.