Cluster Analysis of Residential Personal Exposure to ELF Magnetic Field in Children: Effect of Environmental Variables

Personal exposure to Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields (ELF MF) in children is a very timely topic. We applied cluster analysis to 24 h indoor personal exposures of 884 children in France to identify possible common patterns of exposures. We investigated how electric networks near child home and other variables potentially affecting residential exposure, such as indoor sources of ELF MF, the age and type of the residence and family size, characterized the magnetic field exposure patterns. We identified three indoor personal exposure patterns: children living near overhead lines of high (63–150 kV), extra-high (225 kV) and ultra-high voltage (400 kV) were characterized by the highest exposures; children living near underground networks of low (400 V) and mid voltage (20 kV) and substations (20 kV/400 V) were characterized by mid exposures; children living far from electric networks had the lowest level of exposure. The harmonic component was not relevant in discriminating the exposure patterns, unlike the 50 Hz or broadband (40–800 Hz) component. Children using electric heating appliances, or living in big buildings or in larger families had generally a higher level of personal indoor exposure. Instead, the age of the residence was not relevant in differentiating the exposure patterns.

Download Full-text

Use of Machine Learning in the Analysis of Indoor ELF MF Exposure in Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16071230 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. 1230 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gabriella Tognola ◽

Marta Bonato ◽

Emma Chiaramello ◽

Serena Fiocchi ◽

Isabelle Magne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Cluster Analysis ◽

Real Life ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Personal Exposure ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Electric Networks ◽

High Exposure ◽

Overhead Lines ◽

The Impact

Characterization of children exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields is an important issue because of the possible correlation of leukemia onset with ELF exposure. Cluster analysis—a Machine Learning approach—was applied on personal exposure measurements from 977 children in France to characterize real-life ELF exposure scenarios. Electric networks near the child’s home or school were considered as environmental factors characterizing the exposure scenarios. The following clusters were identified: children with the highest exposure living 120–200 m from 225 kV/400 kV overhead lines; children with mid-to-high exposure living 70–100 m from 63 kV/150 kV overhead lines; children with mid-to-low exposure living 40 m from 400 V/20 kV substations and underground networks; children with the lowest exposure and the lowest number of electric networks in the vicinity. 63–225 kV underground networks within 20 m and 400 V/20 kV overhead lines within 40 m played a marginal role in differentiating exposure clusters. Cluster analysis is a viable approach to discovering variables best characterizing the exposure scenarios and thus it might be potentially useful to better tailor epidemiological studies. The present study did not assess the impact of indoor sources of exposure, which should be addressed in a further study.

Download Full-text

Exposure of adults to extremely low frequency magnetic field in France: results of the EXPERS study

Radioprotection ◽

10.1051/radiopro/2019032 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 39-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

I. Magne ◽

M. Souques ◽

L. Courouve ◽

A. Duburcq ◽

E. Remy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Personal Exposure ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Field Exposure ◽

Extremely Low Frequency ◽

Measurement Protocol ◽

Main Variable ◽

Frequency Magnetic Field ◽

The Magnetic Field

Assessing the exposure of adults to magnetic field is a central point in the context of epidemiological studies. The EXPERS study is the first study at national scale in Europe with measurements of personal exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields, involving 1046 French adults with 24 h personal measurements. The proportion of adults with a 24 h AM of ≥ 1 µT was 2.1% for all adults and 0.3% for adults for which no alarm clock was identified, as this requirement of the measurement protocol was sometimes not respected. The alarm clocks were the main variable linked to the adults’ exposure measurements. The vicinity of the home to a high voltage power line increased the magnetic field exposure. However, only 1.7% of the adults were living close to a 63 to 400 kV overhead line, and only one of them had a personal exposure ≥ 1 μT with an AM of 1.1 μT. The exposure of adults was also correlated with some characteristics of the home and its environment, and some durations of activities, such as the duration of work and the duration in rail transport. The distribution of adults’ personal exposure was significantly different from the distribution of exposure during sleep, and from the distribution of exposure assessed from measurements during sleep and work. This highlights the complexity of the exposure assessment in epidemiological studies.

Download Full-text

Associations of Electric Shock and Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Exposure With the Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

American Journal of Epidemiology ◽

10.1093/aje/kwy287 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 188 (4) ◽

pp. 796-805 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Susan Peters ◽

Anne E Visser ◽

Fabrizio D’Ovidio ◽

Ettore Beghi ◽

Adriano Chiò ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽

Electric Shock ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Field Exposure ◽

Magnetic Field Exposure ◽

Extremely Low Frequency ◽

Frequency Magnetic Field ◽

Lateral Sclerosis

Download Full-text

Assessment of extremely low frequency magnetic field exposure from GSM mobile phones

Bioelectromagnetics ◽

10.1002/bem.21827 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 210-221 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Carolina Calderón ◽

Darren Addison ◽

Terry Mee ◽

Richard Findlay ◽

Myron Maslanyj ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Field Exposure ◽

Magnetic Field Exposure ◽

Extremely Low Frequency ◽

Frequency Magnetic Field

Download Full-text

Modelling and Design of Extremely Low Frequency Uniform Magnetic Field Exposure Apparatus for In Vivo Bioelectromagnetic Studies

2007 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society ◽

10.1109/iembs.2007.4352630 ◽

2007 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

D. Cvetkovic ◽

I. Cosic

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Uniform Magnetic Field ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Field Exposure ◽

Magnetic Field Exposure ◽

Extremely Low Frequency

Download Full-text

Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia Growth Alterations by Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Iranian Journal of Parasitology ◽

10.18502/ijpa.v14i4.2111 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Abraham Octavio RODRÍGUEZ-DE LA FUENTE ◽

Ricardo GOMEZ-FLORES ◽

José Antonio HEREDIA-ROJAS ◽

Edna Marbella GARCÍA-MUÑOZ ◽

Javier VARGAS-VILLARREAL ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Magnetic Fields ◽

Electromagnetic Fields ◽

Giardia Lamblia ◽

Trichomonas Vaginalis ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Antagonistic Effect ◽

Logarithmic Phase ◽

Physical Factors ◽

Field Exposure

Background: There is an increasing interest in using physical factors such as magnetic fields as antimicrobial strategy, with variable results. The current study was aimed to evaluate the influence of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) on the axenically-cultured parasite protozoans Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia growth. Methods: Bioassays were developed using T. vaginalis, GT-13 and G. lamblia IMSS-0989 strains cultured at 37 ºC in TYI-S-33 medium. The following treatment regimens and controls were considered: (a) cells exposed to ELF-EMFs, (b) untreated cells, (c) cells treated with Metronidazole, used as positive controls, and (d) cells co-exposed to ELF-EMFs and Metronidazole. When cultures reached the end of logarithmic phase, they were exposed to ELF-EMFs for 72 h, in a standardized magnetic field exposure facility. For determining cytotoxic effects, trophozoite density was blindly evaluated in a Neubauer chamber. Results: A significant decrease in trophozoite growth was observed for T. vaginalis, in magnetic field-treated cultures. On the other hand, cultures co-exposed to ELF-EMFs and Metronidazole showed no significant differences when compared with cultures treated with Metronidazole alone. On the contrary, an increased trophozoite density was observed in G. lamblia cultures after exposure to magnetic fields. An absence of a synergistic or antagonistic effect was observed. Conclusion: ELF-EMFs induced T. vaginalis and G. lamblia growth alterations, indicating a potential effect in cell cycle progression.

Download Full-text