Effects of low frequency electromagnetic fields on expression of lymphocyte subsets and production of cytokines of men and women employed in a museum

The objective of this study was to analyse the immune response to electroma gnetic fields (ELMFs) in seven men and eight women employed in a museum. Th e workers were exposed in a room to an ELMFs (range 0.2-3.6 muT and 40-120 V/m) induced by 50 Hz electricity for 20 h a week. Control groups consisted of 47 women and 39 men with a similar percentage of atopic subjects, age ( range 30-51 years) and smoking habits of the workers included in the study. Levels of blood lead (Pb) and urinary trans-trans muconic acid, a metaboli te of benzene (markers of exposure to traffic and smoking) of the control a nd exposed groups were similar. Lymphocyte subsets were determined in men a nd women using conjugated antibodies. Serum interleukin (IL) 4 and interfer on gamma and their 'in vitro' production by peripheral mononuclear blood ce lls (PMBCs) stimulated by phytohemoglutinin (PHA), as well as blastogenesis of PMBCs induced by PHA, were determined in women only. ELMF-exposed women showed a significant reduction in the percentage of B and NK CD3(-)-CD25() lymphocytes and a slight reduction of CD16(+)-56(+) NK lymphocytes. They also showed significantly lower levels of interferon gamma in serum, or pro duced in the supernatants by PMBCs both spontaneously and stimulated by PHA , while they did not show significant changes in serum and 'in vitro' produ ced IL-4, or in blastogenesis of PMBCs. Men working in the museum showed, i n relation to the controls, a statistically significant reduction in both n umber and percentage of CD16(+)- CD56(+) and CD3(-)-CD25(+) lymphocyte subs ets. On the whole, this investigation demonstrates a reduction of blood NK lymphocytes and of the production of interferon gamma in workers exposed to low frequency ELMFs. Recent studies have shown that stress and poor lifest yle induce the reduction of blood cytotoxic activities possibly acting on n ervous functions. This may suggest that ELMFs reduces blood NK lymphocytes by combined effects on the immune and nervous systems. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sc ience B,V. All rights reserved.