RF Safe

Oxidative stress, melatonin level, and sleep insufficiency among electronic equipment repairers.

Indian journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2010 · Mixed · Low evidence

← Research stream
MixedLow evidencePaper 4339

Compared with matched controls, electronic equipment repairers had lower mean serum melatonin (P < 0.01) and higher mean serum MDA (P < 0.01). Sleep insufficiency was more frequent among repairers (18.0%) than controls (8.7%), but this difference was not stat…

Study snapshot

PublicationIndian journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2010
Study typecross_sectional
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF), especially among electronic equipment repairers may induce oxidative stress and affect sleep quality. AIMS: This study was carried out to (a) investigate the effect of exposure to ELF-EMF on the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels among electronic equipment repairers as an indicator of oxidative stress; and melatonin hormone levels; and (b) to study the prevalence of sleep insufficiency among electronic equipment repairers exposed to ELF-EMF. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 electronic equipment repairers at high risk of exposure to ELF-EMF, and a matched control group at lower risk of exposure to ELF-EMF. All the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about medical and occupational histories; and sleep sufficiency. The plasma melatonin and MDA levels of the study subjects were assessed. RESULTS: The mean level of serum melatonin in the electronic equipment repairers was lower than that of the controls (P < 0.01). Moreover, serum MDA mean level of the electronic equipment repairers was higher than that of the controls (P < 0.01). Sleep insufficiency was more frequent among electronic equipment repairers (18.00%) in comparison with the controls (8.70%) (P > 0.05) CONCLUSION: The electronic equipment repairers, exposed to ELF-EMF, are at a risk of oxidative stress and sleep insufficiency, which could be explained by lower plasma melatonin levels and higher MDA levels. Health education about the hazards of ELF-EMF, shortening of exposure time per day, and taking antioxidant vitamins should be done to ameliorate the oxidative effect of EMF on those workers.

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 typecross_sectional
Effect directionmixed
PopulationElectronic equipment repairers (high risk of ELF-EMF exposure) and matched controls (lower risk)
Sample size50
ExposureELF
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with matched controls, electronic equipment repairers had lower mean serum melatonin (P < 0.01) and higher mean serum MDA (P < 0.01). Sleep insufficiency was more frequent among repairers (18.0%) than controls (8.7%), but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

Outcomes measured

  • Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (oxidative stress marker)
  • Melatonin levels
  • Sleep insufficiency prevalence

Limitations

  • Cross-sectional design
  • Exposure described as high vs lower risk; no quantitative ELF-EMF measurements reported in abstract
  • Sleep insufficiency assessed by self-administered questionnaire
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "occupational",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Electronic equipment repairers (high risk of ELF-EMF exposure) and matched controls (lower risk)",
  "sample_size": 50,
  "outcomes": [
    "Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (oxidative stress marker)",
    "Melatonin levels",
    "Sleep insufficiency prevalence"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with matched controls, electronic equipment repairers had lower mean serum melatonin (P < 0.01) and higher mean serum MDA (P < 0.01). Sleep insufficiency was more frequent among repairers (18.0%) than controls (8.7%), but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design",
    "Exposure described as high vs lower risk; no quantitative ELF-EMF measurements reported in abstract",
    "Sleep insufficiency assessed by self-administered questionnaire"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "occupational exposure",
    "electronic equipment repairers",
    "oxidative stress",
    "malondialdehyde",
    "melatonin",
    "sleep insufficiency"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study population is workers (electronic equipment repairers) with presumed higher occupational ELF-EMF exposure compared with controls."
    }
  ]
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: 10.4103/0019-5278.75692
PubMed: 21461157

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library