Magnetic field effects on human lymphocytes

The results are discussed of a systematic investigation into the electromag netic held (EMP) exposure consequences on human lymphocytes. These artifici al fields have intensities comparable to the Earth's magnetic field, and ar e used for exposures up to 4 days. Different and complementary techniques a re used to safely assess the consequences of EMFs on the cells; in particul ar, morphology, metabolism, and population dynamics are investigated. The r ecourse to ultramicroscopy, pressure monitoring in sealed bottles, atomic m ass spectroscopy, and cytofluorimetry techniques give good insight into the EMF-induced changes. A statistically significant deviation of irradiated s amples with respect to control samples is reported. A critical analysis and a survey of similar experiments reported in the literature led us to exami ne the experimental setup with attention to the geometry of the irradiation system. Yeast cells were used as a model system to statistically test the different steps in the overall procedure, thanks to information gathered du ring a radiobiology experiment performed at the Rutherford Appleton Laborat ory. Finally, the role of different magnetic field detectors in the reprodu cibility of the experiments is carefully discussed.