THE EFFECT OF 50 HZ SINUSOIDAL ELECTRIC AND OR MAGNETIC-FIELDS ON THERATE OF REPAIR OF DNA SINGLE/DOUBLE STRAND BREAKS IN OXIDATIVELY INJURED CELLS/

Exposure of cultured mammalian cells to 50 Hz electric (0.2 - 20 <V/m) , magnetic (0.002 - 2 G), or combined electric and magnetic fields did not affect the rate of repair of DNA single strand breaks (SSB) induc ed by hydrogen peroxide. The same lack of effect was observed on the r epair of both DNA SSBs and DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in cells tr eated with the cocktail hydrogen peroxide/L-Histidine. These results i ndicate that exposure to electric and/or magnetic fields does not affe ct the machinery involved in the repair of DNA lesions in oxidatively injured cells thus suggesting that it is unlikely that field exposure might induce changes in the response of the cells to the tumor promoti ng or carcinogenic effects elicited by reactive oxygen species.