Summary
This review evaluates a decade of research on the biological effects of human-made electromagnetic fields (EMFs), focusing on radiofrequency (RF) fields from wireless technologies and extremely low frequency (ELF) fields from power lines and electrical devices. Due to accumulating evidence of biological effects, both RF-EMFs and ELF magnetic fields are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC as Group 2B), meaning they are possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Across numerous animal and cell studies, exposure to RF and ELF EMFs consistently increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), disrupted antioxidant defenses, and induced oxidative stress—even at non-thermal exposure levels. Oxidative stress is a central mechanism underlying cellular damage and is linked to impaired neurological function, DNA damage and genome instability, immune dysregulation, and reproductive harm. Many studies also reported mitochondrial dysfunction, reinforcing oxidative stress as a unifying pathway through which EMFs may affect biological systems.
While human epidemiological data remain limited and difficult to obtain, the consistency of findings across experimental models suggests that chronic, low-level EMF exposure may have biological relevance. Overall, the review concludes that EMF-induced oxidative stress is a plausible mechanism connecting modern EMF exposures to a wide range of health effects, underscoring the need for further human research and precaution.
PMID: 33917298
PMCID: PMC8038719
DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073772
Abstract
Concomitant with the ever-expanding use of electrical appliances and mobile communication systems, public and occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the extremely-low-frequency and radiofrequency range has become a widely debated environmental risk factor for health. Radiofrequency (RF) EMF and extremely-low-frequency (ELF) MF have been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), potentially leading to cellular or systemic oxidative stress, was frequently found to be influenced by EMF exposure in animals and cells. In this review, we summarize key experimental findings on oxidative stress related to EMF exposure from animal and cell studies of the last decade. The observations are discussed in the context of molecular mechanisms and functionalities relevant to health such as neurological function, genome stability, immune response, and reproduction. Most animal and many cell studies showed increased oxidative stress caused by RF-EMF and ELF-MF. In order to estimate the risk for human health by manmade exposure, experimental studies in humans and epidemiological studies need to be considered as well.
Schuermann D, Mevissen M. Manmade Electromagnetic Fields and Oxidative Stress-Biological Effects and Consequences for Health. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 6;22(7):3772. doi: 10.3390/ijms22073772. PMID: 33917298; PMCID: PMC8038719.