ENDOCRINE FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG MEN EXPOSED FOR ONE NIGHT TO A 50-HZ MAGNETIC-FIELD - A CIRCADIAN STUDY OF PITUITARY, THYROID AND ANDRENOCORTICAL HORMONES
B. Selmaoui et al., ENDOCRINE FUNCTIONS IN YOUNG MEN EXPOSED FOR ONE NIGHT TO A 50-HZ MAGNETIC-FIELD - A CIRCADIAN STUDY OF PITUITARY, THYROID AND ANDRENOCORTICAL HORMONES, Life sciences, 61(5), 1997, pp. 473-486
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Biology,"Medicine, Research & Experimental","Pharmacology & Pharmacy
In recent years, some epidemiologic studies have suggested that extrem
ely low frequency magnetic and electric fields might affect human heal
th, and, in particular, that the incidence of certain types of cancer,
depression, and miscarriage might increase among individuals living o
r working in environments exposed to such fields. Work in our laborato
ry studies whether and how changes in the electromagnetic environment
might affect human health. The study presented here was designed to lo
ok for possible effects of acute exposure to 50-Hz linearly polarized
magnetic fields (10 mu T) on the hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitar
y-thyroid and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes. Thirty-two young me
n (20-30 years old) were divided into two groups (sham-exposed or cont
rol group, and exposed group) of 16 subjects each. All subjects partic
ipated in two 24-hour experiments to evaluate the effects of both cont
inuous and intermittent(one hour ''off'' and one hour ''on'' with the
field switched ''on'' and ''off'' every 15 seconds) exposure to linear
ly polarized magnetic fields. The subjects were exposed to the magneti
c field (generated by three Helmholtz coils per bed) from 2300 to 0800
while recumbent. Blood samples were collected during each session at
3 hour intervals from 1100 to 2000 and hourly from 2200 to 0800. Total
urine was collected every 3 hours from 0800 to 2300 and then again at
0800. No significant differences were observed between sham-exposed a
nd exposed men for any of the parameters measured: thyroid-stimulating
hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, triiodoth
yronine, thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, thyroxine-b
inding globulin, cortisol, 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OH-CS) and TB
K. These results suggest that acute exposure to either continuous or i
ntermittent 50-Hz linearly polarized magnetic fields of 10 mu T does n
ot affect, at least under our experimental conditions, these endocrine
functions or their circadian rhythmicity in healthy young men.