Effects of electromagnetic fields exposure on plasma hormonal and inflammatory pathway biomarkers in male workers of a power plant.

International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2016 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4786

Study snapshot

PublicationInternational archives of occupational and environmental health · 2016

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

PURPOSE: The potential health risks of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have currently raised considerable public concerns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of EMF exposure on levels of plasma hormonal and inflammatory pathway biomarkers in male workers of an electric power plant. METHODS: Seventy-seven male workers with high occupational EMF exposure and 77 male controls with low exposure, matched by age, were selected from a cross-sectional study. Moreover, high EMF exposure group was with walkie-talkies usage and exposed to power frequency EMF at the work places for a longer duration than control group. A questionnaire was applied to obtain relevant information, including sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and EMF exposures. Plasma levels of testosterone, estradiol, melatonin, NF-κB, heat-shock protein (HSP) 70, HSP27, and TET1 were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: EMF exposure group had statistically significantly lower levels of testosterone (β = -0.3 nmol/L, P = 0.015), testosterone/estradiol (T/E2) ratio (β = -15.6, P = 0.037), and NF-κB (β = -20.8 ng/L, P = 0.045) than control group. Moreover, joint effects between occupational EMF exposure and employment duration, mobile phone fees, years of mobile phone usage, and electric fees on levels of testosterone and T/E2 ratio were observed. Nevertheless, no statistically significant associations of EMF exposures with plasma estradiol, melatonin, HSP70, HSP27, and TET1 were found. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that chronic exposure to EMF could decrease male plasma testosterone and T/E2 ratio, and it might possibly affect reproductive functions in males. No significant associations of EMF exposure with inflammatory pathway biomarkers were found.

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

PopulationMale workers of an electric power plant and male low-exposure controls

Sample size154

Exposurechronic/longer duration at workplaces; employment duration considered

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Compared with low-exposure controls, the high occupational EMF exposure group had statistically significantly lower plasma testosterone, lower testosterone/estradiol (T/E2) ratio, and lower NF-κB. No statistically significant associations were found for estradiol, melatonin, HSP70, HSP27, or TET1. Joint effects were reported between occupational EMF exposure and several factors (including employment duration and mobile phone-related variables) on testosterone and T/E2 ratio.

Outcomes measured

Plasma testosterone
Plasma estradiol
Testosterone/estradiol (T/E2) ratio
Plasma melatonin
Plasma NF-κB
Plasma heat-shock protein (HSP) 70
Plasma HSP27
Plasma TET1

Limitations

Cross-sectional design
Exposure characterization details (e.g., specific frequencies/levels) not provided in abstract
Potential confounding from lifestyle and other factors cannot be assessed from abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "occupational (power plant); walkie-talkies; power frequency EMF",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "chronic/longer duration at workplaces; employment duration considered"
  },
  "population": "Male workers of an electric power plant and male low-exposure controls",
  "sample_size": 154,
  "outcomes": [
    "Plasma testosterone",
    "Plasma estradiol",
    "Testosterone/estradiol (T/E2) ratio",
    "Plasma melatonin",
    "Plasma NF-κB",
    "Plasma heat-shock protein (HSP) 70",
    "Plasma HSP27",
    "Plasma TET1"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Compared with low-exposure controls, the high occupational EMF exposure group had statistically significantly lower plasma testosterone, lower testosterone/estradiol (T/E2) ratio, and lower NF-κB. No statistically significant associations were found for estradiol, melatonin, HSP70, HSP27, or TET1. Joint effects were reported between occupational EMF exposure and several factors (including employment duration and mobile phone-related variables) on testosterone and T/E2 ratio.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design",
    "Exposure characterization details (e.g., specific frequencies/levels) not provided in abstract",
    "Potential confounding from lifestyle and other factors cannot be assessed from abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "occupational exposure",
    "power plant workers",
    "walkie-talkies",
    "power frequency EMF",
    "testosterone",
    "estradiol",
    "melatonin",
    "NF-κB",
    "HSP70",
    "HSP27",
    "TET1",
    "inflammatory biomarkers",
    "hormonal biomarkers"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Study compares high vs low occupational EMF exposure among power plant workers and controls."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1007/s00420-015-1049-7
PubMed: 25808749

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