IEEE C95.1-1991 gives recommendations to prevent harmful effects in human beings exposed to electromagnetic fields in the frequency range from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. The recommendations are intended to apply to exposures in controlled, as well as uncontrolled, environments. They are not intended to apply to the purposeful exposure of patients under the direction of practitioners of the healing arts. The induced and contact current limits of IEEE C95.1-1991 are modified in this edition. In addition, field strengths below which induced and contact currents do not have to be measured are specified, spatial averaging and measurement distance requirements are clarified, and more precise definitions for averaging volume and radiated power are provided.

IEEE standard for safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, 3kHz to 300 GHz

Diatom extracellular polymeric substances: function, fine structure, chemistry, and physiology

A physical mechanism is suggested for a resonant interaction of weak magnetic fields with biological systems. An ion inside a Ca(2+)-binding protein is approximated by a charged oscillator. A shift in the probability of ion transition between different vibrational energy levels occurs when a combination of static and alternating magnetic fields is applied. This in turn affects the interaction of the ion with the surrounding ligands. The effect reaches its maximum when the frequency of the alternating field is equal to the cyclotron frequency of this ion or to some of its harmonics or sub-harmonics. A resonant response of the biosystem to the magnetic field results. The proposed theory permits a quantitative explanation for the main characteristics of experimentally observed effects.

Possible mechanism for the influence of weak magnetic fields on biological systems.

Electrification in developed countries has progressively increased the mean level of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) to which populations are exposed; these humanmade fields are substantially above the naturally occurring ambient electric and magnetic fields of approximately 10(-4) Vm(-1) and approximately 10(-13) T, respectively. Several epidemiological studies have concluded that ELF-EMFs may be linked to an increased risk of cancer, particularly childhood leukemia. These observations have been reinforced by cellular studies reporting EMF-induced effects on biological systems, most notably on the activity of components of the pathways that regulate cell proliferation. However, the limited number of attempts to directly replicate these experimental findings have been almost uniformly unsuccessful, and no EMF-induced biological response has yet been replicated in independent laboratories. Many of the most well-defined effects have come from gene expression studies; several attempts have been made recently to repeat these key findings. This review analyses these studies and summarizes other reports of major cellular responses to EMFs and the published attempts at replication. The opening sections discuss quantitative aspects of exposure to EMFs and the incidence of cancers that have been correlated with such fields. The concluding section considers the problems that confront research in this area and suggests feasible strategies.

Biological responses to electromagnetic fields

Electromagnetic effects - From cell biology to medicine.

The hypothesis that movement of biological ions may be predicted by cyclotron resonance theory applied to cell membranes is tested in these experiments. Diatoms (Amphora coffeaeformis) were chosen as the biosystem since they move or don't move, depending on how much calcium is transported across the membrane. The experiments demonstrate that a particular ion (calcium) is apparently moved across the cell membrane in response to the DC and AC values of magnetic flux densities (B) and the frequency derived from the cyclotron resonance theory. A clear resonance is shown and a rather sharp frequency response curve is demonstrated. The experiments also show a dose response as the AC value of the flux density is varied, and that odd harmonics of the basic cyclotron frequency are also effective.

A. R. Liboff

Papers

Calcium cyclotron resonance and diatom mobility.

Ca 2+-45 Cyclotron Resonance in Human Lymphocytes

Ion Cyclotron Resonance Frequencies Enhance Ca++ Dependent Motility in Diatoms