Effects of Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field Exposure (50 Hz, 200 µT) on Cell Viability, DNA Damage and Micronucleus Formation of Human Skin Cells.

Bioelectromagnetics · 2026 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 4328

Exposure to 50 Hz ELF magnetic fields at 200 µT for 2 or 24 hours showed no significant effects on cell viability, DNA integrity, or chromosomal distribution in human skin cells.

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2026

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Both everyday electrical devices and high voltage transmission lines produce electric and magnetic fields with a frequency of 50 Hz in Europe and most other countries. Although several studies have already been investigating the effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure on biological material, this topic is still debated. High-quality research is still needed to keep the available data up to date and to decrease the low-quality study design bias. We investigated the effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields with an intensity of 200 µT (rms) on HaCaT cells, an immortal keratinocyte cell line derived from adult human skin cells. The exposure system allowed standard in vitro cultivation and blinded experimental design with simultaneous exposure and sham-exposure for 2 or 24 h. The biological endpoints were measured using the WST-1 assay (cell viability), the alkaline comet assay (DNA integrity), and the micronucleus test (chromosomal distribution). The results show no significant effects of the parameters mentioned. Our data support the assessment that 50 Hz ELF-MF up to 200 µT do not cause health effects. This study contributes valuable knowledge to the existing pool of evidence for the effects of ELF-MF on human cells.

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 typein_vitro

Effect directionno_effect

Populationhuman skin cells (HaCaT keratinocyte cell line)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 0.05 MHz · 2 or 24 hours

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 70% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to 50 Hz ELF magnetic fields at 200 µT for 2 or 24 hours showed no significant effects on cell viability, DNA integrity, or chromosomal distribution in human skin cells.

Outcomes measured

cell viability
DNA damage
micronucleus formation

Limitations

in vitro study may not fully represent in vivo conditions
sample size not specified

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 0.05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "2 or 24 hours"
  },
  "population": "human skin cells (HaCaT keratinocyte cell line)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "cell viability",
    "DNA damage",
    "micronucleus formation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to 50 Hz ELF magnetic fields at 200 µT for 2 or 24 hours showed no significant effects on cell viability, DNA integrity, or chromosomal distribution in human skin cells.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "in vitro study may not fully represent in vivo conditions",
    "sample size not specified"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.7,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency magnetic field",
    "ELF-MF",
    "50 Hz",
    "cell viability",
    "DNA damage",
    "micronucleus formation",
    "human skin cells",
    "HaCaT",
    "in vitro"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "elf-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study focuses on effects of 50 Hz ELF magnetic field exposure."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1002/bem.70046
PubMed: 41645647

Read the original paper →

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