Chronic exposure of Sprague-Dawley rats to 20 kHz triangular magnetic fields.

PURPOSE: As a continuing study of 20 kHz triangular magnetic fields (MF) [Lee et al. 2006 ], we investigated the chronic toxicity and possible health effects of exposure to 20 kHz MF at the flux density of 30 microT, which is the limit standard for the occupational population in South Korea, with the use of Sprague-Dawley rats.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Rats were exposed to 20 kHz triangular MF at 30 microT Root Mean Square for 8 h/day for 18 months. Body and organ weights were measured and urinalysis, hematological and blood biochemistry analyses were performed in individual animals. Histopathological evaluation was also performed for the brain, thymus, lung, heart, liver, kidney, intestine and reproductive organs, including tumour tissue.

RESULTS

The mortality patterns in male or female rats exposed to magnetic fields were compared to the mortality patterns found in sex-matched sham control animals. Significant alteration of body weight was not observed with MF exposure. No significant differences were seen in sham-exposed and MF-exposed animals based on urological factors, hematological factors and blood biochemistry. Total tumour incidence was not different between sham-exposed and MF-exposed animals.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that chronic exposure to 20 kHz triangular MF with 30 microT flux density did not increase toxicity in rats.