Health Implications of Electromagnetic Fields, Mechanisms of Action, and Research Needs

Table 4

Studies concerning the effects of electromagnetic fields on the cardiovascular system.

EMF characteristic	Study group	Method	Study outcome	Reference
Medium frequency EMF	MF broadcast and radio link station workers	General medical examination, cardiological, and family history survey, 24-hr ECG*, LVP^†, HRV, and ABP^‡ measurement	EMF exposure is linked to abnormalities in the neurovegetative regulation of cardiac function	[120]
EMF exposure from MP			Interference with medical equipment like implanted pacemakers	[117]
MF exposure	Electric utility workers	Cohort study; Cause of death from death certificates	Association between elevated MF exposure in electric utility jobs and mortality from arrhythmia related causes	[113]
50 Hz, 0.2 mT MF for 15 and 30 days	Male albino rats	ECG, osmotic fragility, shape of membrane and structure tests, dielectric relaxation of Hb molecules measured	Alterations in ECG, RBCs membrane elasticity and permeability and changes in molecular structure of Hb.	[118]
BC^∣∣ 6–25 MHz and TV stations: 66–900 MHz	BC, TV, and radio relay station operators	Arterial pressure, lipid profile, BMI, waist/hip ratio, smoking habits, and family history for cardiovascular disease	RF EMR exposure contributed to a higher risk of becoming hypertensive and dyslipidemic	[121]
Intermittent 16.7 Hz MF,; 7.5 hrs/day and 240 working days/year was assumed	Railway workers	Cohort study; Cause of death from death certificates,; average ELF-MF exposure determined by measurements and modelling	No association between long-term exposure to MF and death from arrhythmia related heart diseases or AMI	[4]
EMF from incubators	Newborn babies	15-minute HRV measurement in supine position at least 1 hour after feeding	Alterations in HRV	[116]

*ECG: electrocardiography, ^†LVP: late ventricular potential, ^‡ABP: ambulatory blood pressure, Hb: hemoglobin, RBC: red blood cell, and ^∣∣BC: broadcast.