Exposure to Magnetic Field Non-Ionizing Radiation and the Risk of Miscarriage: A Prospective Cohort Study

This week from Dr. Cerami and Utah Sports and Wellness

From: Nature Research Journal, December 2017

Quick Summary:

In this day and age, technology has become just as important to our survival as the air we breathe and with this, it becomes easy to forget the negative effects it can have on our biological health. Magnetic field (MF) non-ionizing radiation can come from power lines, wireless networks, appliances and even the cell phone in your pocket yet the association between MF exposure and the risk of miscarriage has been manly unconsidered. From this study they found, an almost three-fold increase in risk of miscarriage was found in pregnant women exposed to higher MF levels compared to women with lower MF exposure.

Abstract:

Magnetic field (MF) non-ionizing radiation is widespread and everyone is exposed to some degree. This prospective cohort study of 913 pregnant women examined the association between high MF exposure and miscarriage risk. Cox (proportional hazards) regression was used to examine the association. After controlling for multiple other factors, women who were exposed to higher MF levels had 2.72 times the risk of miscarriage (hazard ratio = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.42–5.19) than those with lower MF exposure. The increased risk of miscarriage associated with high MF was consistently observed regardless of the sources of high MF. The association was much stronger if MF was measured on a typical day of participants’ pregnancies. The finding also demonstrated that accurate measurement of MF exposure is vital for examining MF health effects. This study provides fresh evidence, directly from a human population, that MF non-ionizing radiation could have adverse biological impacts on human health.

These authors also note:

• All participating pregnant women used an EMDEX Lite meter, which is specifically designed to measure MF, which is measured in milligauss (mG). MF exposure levels were measured from all emitting sources and locations (at home, at home in bed, at work, in transit, or from other sources).
• “The vast majority of epidemiological studies on MF health effects in the literature so far have been based on subjective and unreliable MF measurements. Thus, it is not surprising that many of the past studies failed to detect MF health effects.”
• “The focus on studying MF effects on cancer has exacerbated the problem, since the development of cancer usually has a long latency period between exposure and outcome that could span several decades. This has made accurately measuring MF exposure in the etiologically relevant period (decades before the diagnosis of cancer) almost impossible. Those ‘null findings’ have left a false impression of the ‘safety’ of MF exposure.”
• “Magnetic field (MF) non-ionizing radiation is widespread and everyone is exposed to some degree.”
• “A recent NIEHS multi-year project conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) has revealed an increased risk of cancer associated with MF non- ionizing radiation exposure.”
• “The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified MF as a possible carcinogen.”
• “A study examined human embryonic tissues to assess the association between EMF exposure and embryonic growth and observed an increased risk of impaired embryonic bud growth and apoptosis associated with exposure to higher MF level, providing some direct evidence of adverse biological impact of EMF exposure on embryonic development.”
• Four other studies published during the past 15 years have shown a relationship between high MF exposure and increased risk of miscarriage.
• “Two other studies examined the impact of EMF emitted from cell phones and wireless networks and observed that more frequent cell phone use and close proximity to wireless base stations were both associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.”
• “The increased risk of miscarriage associated with high MF was consistently observed regardless of the sources of high MF.”
• “This study provides fresh evidence, directly from a human population, that MF non-ionizing radiation could have adverse biological impacts on human health.”
• “Given the ubiquitous nature of exposure to this non-ionizing radiation, a small increased risk due to MF exposure could lead to unacceptable health consequences to pregnant women.”