Whether or not EMF causes biological effects, let alone effects that are detrimental to human health and development, is a contentious issue. There are proponents for both sides of the argument.
However, it's appropriate to err on the side of caution and investigate any effects since there is major concern that non-ionizing electromagnetic field (EMF) can cause adverse effects in test subjects and become a contributing factor in cancer induction.
Since the majority of cancers are initiated by damage to a cell's genome, studies have been carried out to investigate the effects of electromagnetic fields on DNA and chromosomal structure.
Additionally, DNA damage can lead to changes in cellular functions and cell death. Single cell gel electrophoresis, also known as the ‘comet assay’, has been widely used in EMF research to determine DNA damage, reflected as single-strand breaks, double-strand breaks, and crosslinks. Studies have also been carried out to investigate chromosomal conformational changes and micronucleus formation in cells after exposure to EMF.
This review describes the comet assay and its utility to qualitatively and quantitatively assess DNA damage, reviews studies that have investigated DNA strand breaks and other changes in DNA structure, and then discusses important lessons learned from our work in this area.
The full report is here: http://www.pathophysiologyjournal.com/article/S0928-4680(09)00014-5/fulltext
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