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Acute exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields with harmonics and transient components: Lack of effects on nighttime hormonal secretion in men
Author(s) -
Kurokawa Yoshika,
Nitta Hiroshi,
Imai Hideki,
Kabuto Michinori
Publication year - 2003
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/bem.10084
Subject(s) - melatonin , prolactin , hormone , endocrinology , medicine , extremely low frequency , secretion , circadian rhythm , physics , electromagnetic field , quantum mechanics
The purpose of this study was to examine whether low frequency magnetic field (MF) influences nighttime secretion of hormones, particularly melatonin. Ten healthy males stayed in the experimental room (2.7 m cube with 3 axis Merritt coils) on two separate nights. On one night, subjects were exposed to linearly polarized 50 Hz, 20 μT sinusoidal MF with the third (30%) and the fifth (10%) harmonics and repetitive transient waves (1 burst/s of 1 kHz waves, exponentially attenuated with a duration of 50 ms; initially 100 μT peak), and the other night was for blind control. During the nights (2000–0800 h, including sleeping time, 2300–0700 h), blood samples were collected from the subjects at 1 h intervals for determining the levels of plasma hormones (melatonin, growth hormone (GH), cortisol, prolactin) and at 10 min intervals from 2200 to 0200 h for observing the GH surge induced by sleep. Statistical analyses revealed no significant difference between the 2 nights in the profiles of the four hormones, and the result suggested that extremely low frequency (ELF) or intermediate frequency (IF) MF to which humans are exposed residentially has no acute effect on nighttime secretion of hormones, particularly melatonin. Bioelectromagnetics 24:12–20, 2003. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.