Electromagnetic Fields Effects on the Immune System of the Human Beings

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS EFFECTS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM OF THE HUMAN BEINGS
by Jacques Lintermans PhD, Pharmaceutical Consultant, linkedin.com, 2 February 2020

I. Introduction

There is a controversy about the uncertain effects on health of the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) ranging from the very low frequencies to the very high ones (microwaves).

In our modern world, who is not exposed to EMFs emitted by professional or domestic appliances, or by antennas and devices belonging to the mobile phone technology?

Is that dangerous?

Experts are divided on this question.

On one hand, some experts say there is no disorder which can be clearly attributed to EMFs in usual environmental conditions. It was thus concluded that the EMFs don’t threaten the population’s health.

Such concept is the one adopted by the Health Authorities in most of the countries, except in Sweden. There, the EMF properties are recognized to provoke, not a disorder, but an unbalanced physiological state in irradiated people. (1) In some individuals, such a state can reach a highly exacerbated level. These subjects are called electro-hyper-sensitive (EHS). Since their symptoms are predominantly related to the cognitive sphere, they are suspected to be imaginary. EHS are not medically recognized.



On the other hand, some experts say non-ionizing waves may be deleterious on our health.

Numerous publications reporting adverse effects linked to EMFs’ exposure in men and animals have been published over the last decades (2). An impressive number of doctors and eminent scientists are warning against the EMFs detrimental effects on the population, especially on children. (3)

Nevertheless, skepticism about the EMFs’ effects is prevailing among most physicians, mainly because they have no objective markers to diagnose a possible EMF-related pathophysiological disorder or hypersensitivity.

These controversial experts’ opinions make it difficult for Governments to decide if they can allow more and more EMF emitting technological projects to be set-up such as 5G antennas.

In this context, an aspect of the problem which has not been often taken into consideration so far is an eventual alteration of the immune system by the EMFs.

However, this alteration exists and was observed in subjects belonging to various social and professional categories.

In these studies, abnormal values of blood parameters were measured. They can be regarded as objective proof of the EMF effects.

What matters here, is an immune-depressive risk with potentially severe consequences for the population’s health and it is therefore important to be known.

II. EMFs’ action mechanism

The mechanism by which the EMFs are able to influence the physiological and functional systems of the human organisms was long unexplained since the thermal effect provoked by these kinds of irradiations are not strong enough to modify a biological structure.

A working explanation has been developed by Martin Pall (4). He found that the EMFs activate the calcium channels of the cell membranes. These channels are electrically charged. An excessive calcium influx occurs inside the cell followed by a large amount of reactions. In addition to a direct cytotoxic action of the calcium on the mitochondria, free radicals are formed and oxidative stress occurs. Those reactions can take place in the cells of all the physiological systems and are thus associated with various pathophysiological effects such as sleep disturbance, headache, depression, fatigue, dysesthesia, concentration dysfunction, memory problems, dizziness, skin burning and allergic-like symptoms, EEG changes. The calcium deleterious role was, in particular, shown in the cells of the immune system altered by EMFs exposure (5)

Biological effects on an organ exposed to EMFs depend on both intensity and duration of this exposure. The waves’ effects on the exposed tissues follow the thermodynamic rules: The penetration of those waves into the body being achieved with a power limited by their absorption. This absorption is first of all exerted by water which is the major constituent of the human body but it is also function of the skin thickness and the anatomical proportions of each individual. Considering this, it was mathematically demonstrated that, for a given exposure, effects of EMFs’ waves are considerably greater in young children than in adults (6)

II. EMFs’ effects on the immune system of human beings

Subjects Exposure conditions                EMF*           Effects __________________________________________________________________________

Workers Servicing generators/3 years   HF                Immunity factors inhibition (7)

Workers Electric utility                            HF                ODC activity+NK cells decrease (8)

Operators Radar service                        HF                Total T lymphocytes decrease (9)

Housewives Near Radio TV stations/     HF                T8 +NK lymphocytes decrease (10)
2 years

Persons Base Transceiver Station/        HF                Immune-alteration vs non-exposed group (11)
2 years

Employees Museum/20h/week/             LF                NK lymphocytes decrease (12)
2 years

Workers Occupational activity                LF               NK lymphocyte activity lowered (13)

Group Electric workshop vicinity,           LF               Total lymphocytes+CD4decrease (14)
daily/5y

Policewomen Circulation control            LF                 Blood cytotoxic activity reduction (15)

EHS Antennas, WiFi, mobile phones     LF, HF           Plasma histamine increase (16)

Secretaries Office machines                  HF                Skin mastocytes+histamine increase (17-18)

__________________________________________________________________________

*EMF:  HF = high frequencies (100 MHz-10 GHz);   LF = very low frequencies (< 300 Hz)

We can add that, in patients with autoimmune disease characterized by pathological hyperactivity of their immune system, surrounding EMFs lowered their symptoms (19).This argues for an immune-depressive action of the EMF.

IV. Comments

Lymphocytes having a cytotoxic function, their depletion could favor a proliferation of infectious agents and cancerous cells (20)

The immunological effects of the EMF should be more marked in children than in adults because the relative size of their thymus is proportionally bigger and so offering a larger exposure surface. This consideration can be related with the results of a mega epidemiological analysis including thousands of children which showed that the ones who were exposed to EMF of low frequencies were twice more numerous to have developed a leukemia than the ones in the control group (21).
Abnormally high histamine values under the effects of the EMFs which are signaling a disturbance of the immune system give rise to the detrimental consequences of inflammatory states.

V. Conclusions

The observed effects of EMFs on the immune system are based on quantitative data which bring objective evidence that EMFs are definitely jeopardizing the human beings ‘health.

Acknowledgment: The author thanks Dr. Vinciane Verly M.D and Dr. Magali Koelman M.D for their highly valuable advices

References

(1)Johansson O., Electrosensitivity in Sweden, EM Facts Consultancy, #1014, 09 Feb 2009

(2)Havas M., BioInitiative Report: A rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF) August 31, 2007

(3)Havas M., International Expert’s Perspective on the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR), Electromagnetic Fields News, July 8, 2018

(4)Pal ML. Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects J Cell Mol Med 2013 Aug: 17(8):958-65

(5)Walleczek J. Electromagnetic Fields Effects on Cells of the Immune System: The Role of Calcium Signaling, The FASEB Journal (1992) Vol.6 N°13, 3177-85

(6)Vander Vorst A. Effects of electromagnetic fields on living organisms ECERI, 5th Paris Appeal Congress, Brussels 18th of May, 2015

(7)McRee D., Soviet and Eastern European Research on Biological Effects of Microwaves Radiation, Proceeding of the IEEE, Vol. 68, N°1, January 1980

(8)Ichinose T. et al., Immune Markers and Ornithine Decarboxylase Activity Among Electric Utility Workers, J Occup Environ Med, 46(2): 104-12, March 2004

(9)Bergier L. et al. Effect of electromagnetic radiation on T-lymphocyte subpopulation and immunoglobulin level in human blood serum after occupational exposure Med Pr. 1990; 41(4):211-5

(10)Boscolo P. et al., The immune response of women with prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields produced by radiotelevision broadcasting stations Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol, 2006 Oct-Dec; 19 (4 Suppl): 43

(11)Taheri M, Roshannaei G, Ghaffari J. et al. The effects of Base Transceiver Station waves on some immunological and hematological factors in exposed persons. Human Antibodies 2017; 25(1-2): 31-37

(12)Di Giampaolo L. et al., Follow up study on the immune response to low frequency electromagnetic field in men and women working in a museum Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2006, 19 (4Suppl): 37-42

(13)Gobba F. and al., Natural killer cell activity decreases in workers exposed to extremely low frequency magnetic fields exceeding 1 micro T Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2009 Oct-Dec; 22(4): 1059-62

(14)Bonhomme-Faivre L. et al., Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Immune System of Occupationally Exposed Humans and Mice Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal Volume 58, Issue 11, 2003 p 712-717

(15)Del Signore A. et al., Combined effects of traffic and electromagnetic fields on the immune system of fertile atopic women, Ind Health (2000) 38(3):294-300

(16)Belpomme D. et al., Reliable disease biomarkers characterizing and identifying electrosensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity as two etiopathogenic aspects of a unique pathological disorder Rev Environ Health 2015; 30(4): 251-271

(17)Johansson O., Disturbance of the immune system by electromagnetic fields: the potentially underlying cause of cellular damage and tissue repair reduction which could lead to disease and impairment Pathophysiology 2009; 16(2-3): 157-77

(18)Johansson O., Evidence for Effects on the Immune System Bioinitiative 2012, Section 8

(19)Marshall T.G. Electrosmog and auto-immune disease Immunol Res 2017; 65(1): 129-139

(20)Shapiro R., Malignancies in the setting of primary immunodeficiency: implications for hematologists/oncologists Am.J.Hematol. 86:48-55, 2011

(21)Zhao L. et al. Magnetic fields exposure and childhood leukemia risk: meta-analysis based on 11.699 cases and 13.194 controls.Leuk Res 2014; 38(3): 269-274

Author: Jacques LINTERMANS, Docteur ès sciences naturelles of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland; formerly: assistant at the Laboratory of drugs metabolism study, School of Medicine, University of Genève, Switzerland; researcher at the Laboratory of Chemical Biodynamics (Headed by Melvin Calvin, Nobel Prize of Chemistry), Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA; co-president of the Institute of Bioactive Science, Nippon Zoki Pharmaceutical Company, Osaka, Japan.

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Jacques Lintermans
Pharmaceutical Consultant
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