Extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields have been classified as possibly carcinogenic, mainly based on epidemiological studies suggesting increased risk of childhood leukaemia near power lines. However, the causality of this association is unclear and mechanistic understanding is lacking.
Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the researchers describe a mechanism that seems to be involved in magnetoreception in birds and other animals, and discuss the hypothesis that the same mechanism links environmental magnetic fields to cancer-relevant biological processes such as the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species signalling, DNA damage responses and induced genomic instability.
“It is important to understand the interaction mechanisms of magnetic fields, as we are exposed to such fields in our everyday life. Moreover, new applications, such as electric cars and wireless power transfer, introduce new kinds of magnetic fields in our environment,” says Professor Jukka Juutilainen from the Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
“Our research will continue in the Quantum Biology of Low Frequency Magnetic Fields: Cryptochrome, Radicals and Genomic Instability (MACRI) project, which is led by Associate Professor Jonne Naarala and funded by the Academy of Finland.”
The article, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B this May, is available at http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1879/20180590 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0590
For further information, please contact:
Professor Jukka Juutilainen, tel. +358 29 445 3739, jukka.juutilainen (a) uef.fi
