Medical/biological study (experimental study)

Physiological variables and subjective symptoms by 60 Hz magnetic field in EHS and non-EHS persons med./bio.

By: Nam KC, Choi JL, Kwon MK, Jang KH, Kim DW

Published in: 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Boston, MA, USA. IEEE, 2011: pp. 1925-1928; ISBN 978-1-4577-1589-1

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Aim of study (acc. to author)

To study both physiological changes (heart rate, respiratory rate, and heart rate variability) and subjective symptoms to determine the origin of electrosensitivity.

Background/further details

Two groups of 15 volunteers with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (10 males/5 females) and 16 non-electromagnetic hypersensitivity subjects (11 males/5 females) participated and were sham exposed and exposed on two different days. Physiological data were recorded for five minutes at four different stages: pre-exposure rest, after 11 minutes of exposure, after 27 minutes of exposure, and 11 minutes after exposure termination. The subjects were asked for symptoms during 1, 10, and 26 of exposure and 10 minutes after exposure termination.

Endpoint

effects on the cardiovascular system: heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate
hypersensitivity/subjective complaints: subjective symptoms

Exposure

- 60 Hz
- 50/60 Hz
- magnetic field
- low frequency

Exposure	Parameters
Exposure 1: 60 Hz Exposure duration: continuous for 32 min	magnetic flux density: 12.5 µT

Exposure 1

Main characteristics

Frequency	60 Hz
Type	magnetic field
Exposure duration	continuous for 32 min

Exposure setup

Exposure source	solenoid
Distance between exposed object and exposure source	20 cm
Setup	20 cm high coil with a radius of 20 cm and 2000 turns of wire, covered with fabric; test person sitting on a chair with the coil 20 cm above the top of the head
Sham exposure	A sham exposure was conducted.

Parameters

Measurand	Value	Type	Method	Mass	Remarks
magnetic flux density	12.5 µT	-	-	-	-

Additional parameter details

measured background fields: E = 0.8 V/m B = 0.03 µT

Reference articles

Nam KC et al. (2009): Hypersensitivity to RF fields emitted from CDMA cellular phones: a provocation study
Rubin GJ et al. (2005): Electromagnetic hypersensitivity: a systematic review of provocation studies

Exposed system:

human
partial body: head

Methods Endpoint/measurement parameters/methodology

effects on the cardiovascular system: heart rate, heart rate variability (ECG)
hypersensitivity/subjective complaints: subjective symptoms (eight different symptoms, e.g. headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, throbbing, itching; questionnaire)
respiratory rate (respiratory inductance plethysmography)

Investigated system:

investigation on living organism

Investigated organ system:

Time of investigation:

before exposure
during exposure
after exposure

Main outcome of study (acc. to author)

The magnetic field exposure did not have any effect on physiological variables or subjective symptoms in either group.

Study character:

medical/biological study
experimental study
full/main study
double-blind study

Study funded by

Korea Institute of Energy Technology and Planning (KETEP), Korea
Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), Korea

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