R. D. Phillips

Biological Effects of Electric Fields: An Overview

Extremely low-frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields, many times above ambient levels, occur in the vicinity of existing and proposed energy generating, storage and transmission systems. Concern over possible deleterious health effects due to exposure to these electromagnetic fields was first expressed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In an early Soviet study, a variety of neurological symptoms, including headaches, excitability, fatigue, and nausea, were reported in workers at ultra-high-voltage (>345 kV) switchyard stations (Asanova and Rakov, 1966; Korobkova et al., 1972). Although it is not possible to conclude that the reported functional changes resulted from exposure to the electromagnetic fields, the research findings led to additional research in the USSR and throughout the rest of the world. Numerous studies were initiated in a wide range of investigations to assess the potential biological consequences of exposure to static and ELF electromagnetic radiation (e.g., Singewald et al., 1973; deLorge and Marr, 1974; Kouwenhoven et al., 1967; Knickerbocker et al., 1967; Graves et al., 1979; Knave et al., 1979; Cerretelli et al., 1979; Phillips et al., 1979a; 1981). These studies included epidemiological investigations of people exposed, both occupationally and nonoccupationally, to electric fields, as well as experiments on laboratory animals.