Effects of Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field Exposure (50 Hz, 200 µT) on Cell Viability, DNA Damage and Micronucleus Formation of Human Skin Cells

Both everyday electrical devices and high voltage transmission lines produce electric and magnetic fields with a frequency of 50 Hz in Europe and most other countries. Although several studies have already been investigating the effects of extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure on biological material, this topic is still debated. High-quality research is still needed to keep the available data up to date and to decrease the low-quality study design bias. We investigated the effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields with an intensity of 200 µT (rms) on HaCaT cells, an immortal keratinocyte cell line derived from adult human skin cells. The exposure system allowed standard in vitro cultivation and blinded experimental design with simultaneous exposure and sham-exposure for 2 or 24 h. The biological endpoints were measured using the WST-1 assay (cell viability), the alkaline comet assay (DNA integrity), and the micronucleus test (chromosomal distribution). The results show no significant effects of the parameters mentioned. Our data support the assessment that 50 Hz ELF-MF up to 200 µT do not cause health effects. This study contributes valuable knowledge to the existing pool of evidence for the effects of ELF-MF on human cells.