Effect of Long-term Occupational Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Proinflammatory Cytokine and Hematological Parameters

2019 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1755

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typecohort

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Effect of Long-term Occupational Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Proinflammatory Cytokine and Hematological Parameters Bagheri Hosseinabadi M, Khanjani N, Samaei E, Nazarkhani F. Effect of Long-term Occupational Exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Proinflammatory Cytokine and Hematological Parameters. Int J Radiat Biol. 2019 Jul 22:1-23. doi: 10.1080/09553002.2019.1642542. Abstract Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) on proinflammatory cytokines and hematological parameters, among the employees of a power plant, which are one of the most important occupational groups exposed to ELF-EMFs extensively. Materials and methods: The studied population included 112 employees of a power plant as the exposed group and 138 unexposed employees who were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The magnetic flux density and the strength of the electric field were determined by spot measurements and according to the IEEE C95.3.1 standard. Proinflammatory cytokines including serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); and hematologic parameters of all subjects were measured. Results: The mean level of IL-1β and IL-6, white blood cell count (WBC) and red blood cell count (RBC), lymphocyte percentage (Lym%), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), platelet count (PLT) and procalcitonin (PCT) were significantly more in the exposed group, than the unexposed group. The mean serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β and some of the hematological parameters including WBC, lymphocyte, RBC and haematocrit were higher in technicians which had the highest level of exposure to magnetic fields compared to other groups and these relations were linear. Conclusions: Long-term exposure to ELF-EMFs probably affects immune responses, by stimulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and increasing some hematological parameters. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecohort

Effect directionharm

PopulationEmployees of a power plant (exposed) and unexposed employees

Sample size250

ExposureELF · long-term

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with unexposed employees, the exposed group had significantly higher mean IL-1β and IL-6 and higher values for several hematological parameters (including WBC, RBC, Lym%, MCV, PLT, and PCT). Technicians with the highest magnetic-field exposure had higher IL-6, IL-1β and some hematological parameters (including WBC, lymphocyte, RBC, and haematocrit) than other job groups, with reported linear relations.

Outcomes measured

Serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β)
Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6)
Serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)
White blood cell count (WBC)
Red blood cell count (RBC)
Lymphocyte percentage (Lym%)
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
Platelet count (PLT)
Procalcitonin (PCT)
Haematocrit

Limitations

Study design details (e.g., prospective vs. retrospective) not specified in abstract
Exposure characterized by spot measurements; full exposure metrics not provided in abstract
Potential confounding control not described in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "occupational (power plant)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "long-term"
  },
  "population": "Employees of a power plant (exposed) and unexposed employees",
  "sample_size": 250,
  "outcomes": [
    "Serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β)",
    "Serum interleukin 6 (IL-6)",
    "Serum tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)",
    "White blood cell count (WBC)",
    "Red blood cell count (RBC)",
    "Lymphocyte percentage (Lym%)",
    "Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)",
    "Platelet count (PLT)",
    "Procalcitonin (PCT)",
    "Haematocrit"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with unexposed employees, the exposed group had significantly higher mean IL-1β and IL-6 and higher values for several hematological parameters (including WBC, RBC, Lym%, MCV, PLT, and PCT). Technicians with the highest magnetic-field exposure had higher IL-6, IL-1β and some hematological parameters (including WBC, lymphocyte, RBC, and haematocrit) than other job groups, with reported linear relations.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Study design details (e.g., prospective vs. retrospective) not specified in abstract",
    "Exposure characterized by spot measurements; full exposure metrics not provided in abstract",
    "Potential confounding control not described in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "occupational exposure",
    "power plant",
    "magnetic flux density",
    "electric field strength",
    "IEEE C95.3.1",
    "interleukin 1β",
    "interleukin 6",
    "TNF-α",
    "hematological parameters",
    "immune response",
    "proinflammatory cytokines"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Study evaluates long-term occupational ELF-EMF exposure among power plant employees with exposure measurements."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2019.1642542
PubMed: Not supplied

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