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Oxidative stress associated with long term occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields

Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2020 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 2198

Compared with office workers, power plant workers had significantly higher serum levels of MDA, SOD, and catalase. TAC did not differ significantly between groups; oxidative stress indicators generally increased with higher electric- and magnetic-field exposu…

Study snapshot

PublicationWork (Reading, Mass.) · 2020
Study typecohort
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Oxidative stress associated with long term occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields Majid Bagheri Hosseinabadi, Narges Khanjani, Pirasteh Norouzi, Seyed Reza Mirbadie, Mozhgan Fazli, Mehdi Mirzaii. Oxidative stress associated with long term occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields. Work. 2020 Sep 6. doi: 10.3233/WOR-203244. Abstract Background: Occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) may have harmful effects on biologic systems and has raised many concerns in the last decades. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities. Methods: This study was conducted on 115 power plant workers as the exposed group and 145 office workers as the non-exposed group. The levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (Cat), and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) were measured in the serum of all subjects. Exposure to ELF-EMFs was measured based on spot measurements and the IEEE Std C95.3.1 standard. Results: The levels of MDA, SOD, and Cat in the exposed group were significantly higher than in the non-exposed group. However, the level of TAC was not significantly different between the exposed (2.45±1.02) and non- exposed (2.21±1.07) groups. The levels of MDA and SOD were higher among workers with higher exposure to electric fields than workers with low exposure. All oxidative stress indicators increased with increased exposure to magnetic fields, except TAC. Conclusions: The antioxidant system imbalance among power plant workers may be related to long term occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

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 directionmixed
PopulationPower plant workers (exposed) and office workers (non-exposed)
Sample size260
ExposureELF · long term
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with office workers, power plant workers had significantly higher serum levels of MDA, SOD, and catalase. TAC did not differ significantly between groups; oxidative stress indicators generally increased with higher electric- and magnetic-field exposure, except TAC.

Outcomes measured

  • Malondialdehyde (MDA)
  • Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
  • Catalase (Cat)
  • Total antioxidant capacity (TAC)
  • Oxidative stress / lipid peroxidation
  • Antioxidant enzyme activities

Limitations

  • Exposure assessment based on spot measurements (per IEEE Std C95.3.1)
  • Frequency and quantitative exposure levels not reported in the abstract
  • Observational comparison of exposed vs non-exposed groups; potential confounding not described in the abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "occupational",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "long term"
  },
  "population": "Power plant workers (exposed) and office workers (non-exposed)",
  "sample_size": 260,
  "outcomes": [
    "Malondialdehyde (MDA)",
    "Superoxide dismutase (SOD)",
    "Catalase (Cat)",
    "Total antioxidant capacity (TAC)",
    "Oxidative stress / lipid peroxidation",
    "Antioxidant enzyme activities"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with office workers, power plant workers had significantly higher serum levels of MDA, SOD, and catalase. TAC did not differ significantly between groups; oxidative stress indicators generally increased with higher electric- and magnetic-field exposure, except TAC.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure assessment based on spot measurements (per IEEE Std C95.3.1)",
    "Frequency and quantitative exposure levels not reported in the abstract",
    "Observational comparison of exposed vs non-exposed groups; potential confounding not described in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "occupational exposure",
    "power plant workers",
    "electric fields",
    "magnetic fields",
    "oxidative stress",
    "lipid peroxidation",
    "malondialdehyde",
    "superoxide dismutase",
    "catalase",
    "total antioxidant capacity"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Study compares power plant workers with office workers and measures ELF electric/magnetic field exposure at work."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.3233/wor-203244
PubMed: 32925155

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