Influence on the person of electromagnetic radiation. Sources, properties of electromagnetic radiation

In recent years, due to the development of technologies, the human body is exposed to a high level of exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR), which could not but cause serious concern around the world.

What is the effect of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms? Their consequences depend on which category of radiation - ionizing or not - they are related. The first type has a high energy potential, which acts on the atoms in the cells and leads to a change in their natural state. It can be deadly, as it causes cancer and other diseases. Non-ionizing radiation includes electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves, microwave radiation and electrical vibrations. Although the structure of the atom it can not change, but its impact can lead to irreversible consequences.

Invisible danger

Publications in the scientific literature raised the issue of adverse effects on individuals and society as a whole of non-ionizing EMF radiation emanating from power, electrical and wireless devices in everyday life, at work, in educational and public institutions. Despite numerous problems in establishing irrefutable scientific evidence of harm and gaps in clarifying the exact mechanisms for its application, epidemiological analysis increasingly suggests the significant potential of traumatic effects produced by non-ionizing radiation. Protection from electromagnetic radiation is becoming more relevant.

Due to the fact that medical education does not focus on the state of the environment, some doctors are not fully aware of the probable health problems that are associated with EMR, and as a consequence, manifestations of non-ionizing radiation can be diagnosed incorrectly and undergo ineffective treatment.

If the possibility of damage to tissues and cells associated with exposure to X-rays does not cause doubts, then the effect of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms, when they emanate from power lines, mobile phones, electrical appliances and some machines, only recently began to attract attention as a potential threat Health.

Electromagnetic spectrum

Non-ionizing radiation refers to the type of energy that emanates or is radiated far beyond its source. The energy of electromagnetic radiation exists in various forms, each of which has different physical properties. They can be measured and expressed using frequency or wavelength. Some waves have a high frequency, others - medium and third - low. The range of electromagnetic radiation includes many different forms of energy emanating from different sources. Their name is used to classify EMP types.

A short wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, corresponding to a high frequency, is a characteristic of gamma rays, X-ray and ultraviolet radiation. The lower frequencies of the spectrum include microwave radiation and radio waves. Light radiation is referred to the middle section of the EMR spectrum, it provides normal vision and is the light that we perceive. Infrared energy is responsible for the person's perception of heat.

Most forms of energy, such as X-rays, ultraviolet and radio waves, are invisible and invisible to humans. To detect them, it is required to measure electromagnetic radiation using special instruments, and as a consequence, people can not assess the extent of the effect of energy fields in these ranges.

Despite the lack of perception, the action of high-frequency energy, including X-rays, called ionizing, is potentially dangerous for human cells. Changing the atomic composition of cellular structures, breaking chemical bonds and inducing the formation of free radicals, sufficient exposure to ionizing radiation can damage the genetic code in DNA or provoke mutations, thereby increasing the risk of malignant growth or cell death.

Anthropogenic EMP

The influence of electromagnetic radiation on the body, especially non-ionizing, which is called forms of energy with lower frequencies, has been underestimated by many scientists. It was believed that it does not produce an adverse effect at normal levels of exposure. Recently, however, more and more data have appeared that indicate that certain frequencies of non-ionizing radiation can potentially cause biological damage. The majority of studies of their health effects related to the following three main types of anthropogenic EMP:

• Lower scale of electromagnetic emissions from power lines, electrical appliances and electronic equipment;
• Microwave and radio emission of wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, honeycomb towers, antennas, and television and radio towers;
• Electrical pollution due to the operation of certain types of equipment (for example, plasma TVs, some energy-saving devices, variable speed motors, etc.) producing signals whose electromagnetic radiation frequency is in the range of 3-150 kHz (propagated and re-emitted by wiring).

The currents in the earth, sometimes called wandering, wires are not limited. The current moves along the path of least resistance and can pass through any available paths, including ground, wires, and various objects. Accordingly, the electrical voltage is also transmitted through the ground and by building structures through metal water pipes or sewer pipes, as a result of which non-ionizing radiation enters the nearest environment.

EMR and human health

While studies that have studied the negative properties of electromagnetic radiation sometimes produced conflicting results, the diagnosis of reproductive dysfunction and a predisposition to cancer seems to confirm suspicions that exposure to EMF can pose a threat to human health. Unfavorable outcome of pregnancy, including miscarriages, stillbirth, premature birth, changing sex ratio and congenital anomalies - all was associated with the influence of EMR on the mother.

In a large prospective study published in the journal Epidemiology, for example, the peak effect of EMR on 1063 pregnant women in the San Francisco area is reported. Participants in the experiment wore magnetic field detectors, and scientists found a significant increase in fetal mortality with an increase in the level of maximum exposure to EMF.

EMR and cancer

The allegations were made that the intense effects of certain EMR frequencies could be carcinogenic. For example, the International Journal of Cancer recently published an important case-control study on the relationship between childhood leukemia and magnetic fields in Japan. Assessing the level of electromagnetic radiation in the bedrooms, the scientists confirmed that high levels of exposure lead to a significantly greater risk of childhood leukemia.

Physical and psychological impact

People with electromagnetic supersensitivity often suffer from exhaustion, which can affect any part of the body, including the central nervous system, the musculoskeletal system, the gastrointestinal tract and the endocrine system. These symptoms often lead to constant psychological stress and fear of being affected by EMR. Many patients become incapacitated by the thought that an invisible wireless signal at any time and in any place can provoke pain in their body. Constant fear and concern for health problems affect well-being up to the development of phobia and fear of electricity, which some cause a desire to leave civilization.

Mobile phones and telecommunications

Cell phones transmit and receive signals using EMF, which are partially absorbed by their users. Since these sources of electromagnetic radiation are usually in close proximity to the head, this feature has led to fears about the possible adverse effect of their use on human health.

One of the problems of extrapolating the results of their application in experimental studies on rodents is that the frequency of maximum absorption of RF energy depends on the size of the body, its shape, orientation and position.

Resonance absorption in rats is in the range of microwave frequencies and operating frequencies of mobile phones used in experiments (from 0.5 to 3 GHz), but on a human scale it occurs at 100 MHz. This factor can be taken into account when calculating the absorbed dose rate, but it presents a problem for those studies in which only the external field strength is used to determine the exposure level.

The relative depth of penetration in laboratory animals is larger than the size of the human head, and the tissue parameters and the mechanism of heat redistribution are different. Another potential source of inaccuracies in the exposure level is the effect of radio-frequency radiation on the cell.

The effect of high-voltage radiation on people and the environment

Power lines with voltages above 100 kV are the most powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation. Investigations of the radiation impact on technical personnel started with the beginning of construction of the first 220-kV transmission lines, when there were cases of deterioration in workers' health. The commissioning of 400 kV transmission lines led to the publication of numerous works in this field, which subsequently became the basis for the adoption of the first regulatory acts limiting the effect of the 50-Hz electric field.

Lines with a voltage of more than 500 kV have an impact on the environment in the form of:

• An electric field of 50 Hz;
• Corona discharge ;
• Magnetic field of industrial frequency.

EMF and nervous system

The blood-brain barrier of mammals consists of endothelial cells associated with the blocking zones, as well as adjacent pericytes and extracellular matrix. Helps maintain the highly stable extracellular environment necessary for precise synaptic transmission, and protects the neural tissue from damage. Increasing its low permeability for hydrophilic and charged molecules can be harmful to health.

Ambient temperature, exceeding the limits of thermoregulation of mammals, increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier for macromolecules. The neuronal absorption of albumin in different regions of the brain depends on its temperature and is manifested when it is increased by 1 ° C or more. Since sufficiently strong radiofrequency fields can lead to tissue heating, it is logical to assume that the effect of electromagnetic radiation on a person results in an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier.

EmF and sleep

The upper scale of electromagnetic radiation has some influence on sleep. This topic has become relevant for several reasons. Among other symptoms, complaints of sleep disturbances were mentioned in anecdotal reports about people who believe that EMR acts on them. This led to speculation that electromagnetic fields can interfere with the normal course of sleep with the resulting health consequences. The potential risk of sleep disturbance should be considered given that it is a very complex biological process controlled by the central nervous system. And although precise neurobiological mechanisms have not yet been established, regular alternation of states of wakefulness and rest is a necessary requirement for ensuring the proper functioning of the brain, metabolic homeostasis and the immune system.

In addition, the dream appears to be precisely that physiological system, the study of which will make it possible to elucidate the effect on the human of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, since in this biological state the organism is sensitive to external stimuli. There is evidence that weak EMFs, whose intensity is significantly lower than that at which a temperature increase may occur, can also cause biological effects.

Currently, studies of the impact of non-ionizing high-frequency EMR are clearly focused on the risk of cancer, which is explained by concern about the carcinogenic properties of ionizing radiation.

Negative manifestations

Thus, the effect on human beings of electromagnetic radiation, even non-ionizing, takes place, especially in the case of high-voltage power lines and the effect of the corona. Microwave radiation affects the nervous, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems, including causing damage to the nervous system, altering its response, the electroencephalogram, the blood-brain barrier, triggering disruption of circadian rhythms (wakefulness-sleep) by interfering with the pineal gland and creating Hormonal imbalance, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, worsening immunity to pathogens, causing weakness, exhaustion, growth problems, DNA damage and cancer.

It is recommended to build buildings away from EMR sources, and protection from electromagnetic radiation of high-voltage power lines must be mandatory. In cities, cables must be laid underground, as well as equipment that neutralizes the effect of EMP.

Based on the results of the correlation analysis based on the experimental data, it was concluded that it is possible to significantly reduce the effect on the person of the electromagnetic radiation of the power line by reducing the distance of the sagging of the wires, which will lead to an increase in the distance between the conductor line and the measuring point. In addition, this distance is affected by the terrain under the power line.

Precautionary measures

Electricity is an integral part of the life of modern society. This means that EMR will always be around us. And for EMF to make our life easier, not shorter, you should follow certain precautions:

• Do not allow children to play near power lines, transformers, satellite transmitters and microwave sources.
• Avoid locations where the magnetic flux density exceeds 1 mG. It is necessary to measure the EMF level of the devices in the switched-off and operating state.
• It is necessary to reshuffle in the office or at home in such a way as not to be exposed to the field of electrical appliances and computers.
• You can not sit too close to the computer. Monitors vary greatly in the strength of their EMR. Do not stand near a working microwave oven.
• Move electrical appliances at least 2 m from the bed. Do not allow wiring under the bed. Remove the dimmers and 3-position switches.
• Precautions should be taken when using wireless devices, such as electric toothbrushes, razors.
• In addition, it is recommended to wear as little jewelry as possible and take them off at night.
• It is also necessary to remember that the EMP passes through the walls, and take into account the sources in the next room or outside the walls of the room.