On the thermal effect induced in tissue samples exposed to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field

BACKGROUND: The influence of electromagnetic exposure on mammalian tissues was approached as a public health issue aiming to reveal the putative side effect of 50 Hz industrial and domestic supply source (i) during aliments storage near such sources; (ii) in people staying couple of hours in the proximity of conducting wires. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fluorescence emission based thermal sensor was used to emphasize temperature dynamics of fresh meat samples during controlled electromagnetic exposure in Helmholtz coils adjusted to deliver 50 Hz / (4÷10) mT electromagnetic field in their inner volume. Fluoroptic temperature probe with 0.1 °C accuracy measurement and data acquisition software allowed reading temperature every second, in the tissue volume during exposure. RESULTS: The temperature dynamics curves of ex-vivo porcine tissues like liver, kidney, brain, muscle, lung, and bone, were comparatively analyzed – the choosing of the mammalian species being justified by metabolic and physiological similarities with human body. The curve slopes appear to be the same for the range of initial temperatures chosen to perform the tests (20.0 ± 0.1 °C), the temperature increase reaching around 2.0 °C for the magnetic flux density of 10 mT. Quantitative dependence was evidenced between the thermal effect and the magnetic flux density. CONCLUSIONS: The technical interpretation is based on heating effect, on bioimpedance increasing and on water vaporization during wet sample exposure. The biomedical aspects derive from the degrading effects of food heating as well as from possible in vivo effects of living body exposure.