A mechanism for action of oscillating electric fields on cells

The biological effects of electromagnetic fields have seriously concerned t he scientific community and the public as well in the past decades as more and more evidence has accumulated about the hazardous consequences of so-ca lled "electromagnetic pollution." This theoretical model is based on the si mple hypothesis that an oscillating external electric field will exert an o scillating force to each of the free ions that exist on both sides of all p lasma membranes and that can move across the membranes through transmembran e proteins. This external oscillating force will cause a forced vibration o f each free ion. When the amplitude of the ions' forced vibration transcend s some critical value, the oscillating ions can give a false signal for ope ning or closing channels that are voltage gated (or even mechanically gated ), in this way disordering the electrochemical balance of the plasma membra ne and consequently the whole cell function. (C) 2000 Academic Press.