• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.321-327
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• 2002

There has been an increase in the public concern about possible health risks by electromagnetic exposure from mobile phones. Recently, increase in the use among young children of portable telephones public concern regarding potential health hazards due to a hot spot appearing inside the infant head, has been growing. Since the biological hazards due to RF exposure are caused mainly by a temperature-rise in tissue, the effect of localized SAR for portable telephones should also be related to the temperature-rise in the human head. In this paper, it was measured that in the actual use of portable telephone the temperature of the local tissue in the human-head change. As a result, it should be noted that the mean temperature of human-body and localized tissue is rising from beginning call. However the temperature variation of localized tissue is recovered rapidly as normal temperature, although the mean temperature of human-body rising continuously at ending call of portable telephone.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.142-150
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• 2015

Several reports supported that continuous exposure to 60 Hz magnetic field (MF) induces testicular germ cell apoptosis in vivo. We recently evaluated duration- and dose-dependent effects of continuous exposure to a 60 Hz MF on the testes in mice. BALB/c male mice were exposed to a 60 Hz MF at $100{\mu}T$ for 24 hours a day for 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks, and at 2, 20 or $200{\mu}T$ for 24 hours a day for 8 weeks. To induce the apoptosis of testicular germ cell in mice, the minimum dose is $20{\mu}T$ at continuous exposure to a 60 Hz MF for 8 weeks, and the minimum duration is 6 weeks at continuous exposure of $100{\mu}T$. Continuous exposure to a 60 Hz MF might affect duration- and dose-dependent biological processes including apoptotic cell death and spermatogenesis in the male reproductive system of mice. The safety guideline of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) indicates that the permissible maximum magnetic flux density for general public exposure is $200{\mu}T$ at 60 Hz EMF (ICNIRP Guidelines, 2010). In the present study, we aimed to examine the expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes regulated by the continuous exposure to 60 Hz at $200{\mu}T$ in Sprague-Dawley rats for 20 weeks. The continuous exposure to 60 Hz at $200{\mu}T$ does not affect the body and testicular weight in rats. However, exposure to 60 Hz MF significantly affects testicular germ cell apoptosis and sperm count. Further, the apoptosis-related gene was scrutinized after exposure to 60 Hz at $200{\mu}T$ for 20 weeks. We found that the message level of endonuclease G (EndoG) was greatly increased following the exposure to 60 Hz at $200{\mu}T$ compared with sham control. These data suggested that 60 Hz magnetic field induced testicular germ cell apoptosis through mitochondrial protein Endo G.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.313-317
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• 2011

The effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization and cellular function in RBL 2H3 cells were investigated. Exposure to EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT) for 4 or 16 h did not produce any cytotoxic effects in RBL 2H3 cells. Melittin, ionomycin and thapsigargin each dose-dependently increased the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. The increase of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ induced by these three agents was not affected by exposure to EMF (60 Hz, 1 mT) for 4 or 16 h in RBL 2H3 cells. To investigate the effect of EMF on exocytosis, we measured beta-hexosaminidase release in RBL 2H3 cells. Basal release of beta-hexosaminidase was $12.3{\pm}2.3%$ in RBL 2H3 cells. Exposure to EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT) for 4 or 16 h did not affect the basal or $1{\mu}m$ melittin-induced beta-hexosaminidase release in RBL 2H3 cells. This study suggests that exposure to EMF (60 Hz, 0.1 or 1 mT), which is the limit of occupational exposure, has no influence on intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization and cellular function in RBL 2H3 cells.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.277-289
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• 2018

The exponential increase in the use of mobile communication has triggered public concerns about the potential adverse effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by mobile phones on the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we explored the relationship between calcium channels and apoptosis or autophagy in the hippocampus of C57BL/6 mice after RF-EMF exposure with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 4.0 W/kg for 4 weeks. Firstly, the expression level of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs), a key regulator of the entry of calcium ions into the cell, was confirmed by immunoblots. We investigated and confirmed that pan-calcium channel expression in hippocampal neurons were significantly decreased after exposure to RF-EMF. With the observed accumulation of autolysosomes in hippocampal neurons via TEM, the expressions of autophagy-related genes and proteins (e.g., LC3B-II) had significantly increased. However, down-regulation of the apoptotic pathway may contribute to the decrease in calcium channel expression, and thus lower levels of calcium in hippocampal neurons. These results suggested that exposure of RF-EMF could alter intracellular calcium homeostasis by decreasing calcium channel expression in the hippocampus; presumably by activating the autophagy pathway, while inhibiting apoptotic regulation as an adaptation process for 835 MHz RF-EMF exposure.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1073-1084
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• 2010

In this paper, the bio-heat equation including thermoregulatory functions is solved for an anatomically based human head model comprised of 14 tissues to study the thermal implications of high-power exposure to electromagnetic(EM) fields due to half-wave dipole antenna both at 835 and 1,800 MHz. The dipole antenna is located at the side of the ear and the front of the eyes. The FDTD method has been used for the SAR computation. When solving the BHE, the thermoregulation function and sweating effetecs are included in order to predict more exact temperature increase. It is noted that an approximately proportional relationship between the tissues and the maximum temperature increase and the antenna power is not maintained when the thermoregulation and sweating effects are fully accounted for under high power exposure.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.749-755
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• 2001

High Electromagnetic Field (EMF) with an intensity of 1 mT (Tesla) inhibited the growth of both human normal lung and immune T cell down to $20-30\%$, compared to that of an unexposed case. The human T-cells, Jurkat, were more severely affected by EMF than the human lung cells, which showed a relatively slow cell growth and substantial releas of $Ca^+2$ (3.5 times higher than the human T-cells). However, the growth of hepatoma carcinoma, Hep3B, was enhanced by twice that of an unexposed case. The EMF intensity and exposure time did not affect the growth of the cancer cells very much, while it significantly affected the growth of normal cells. Accordingly, it is possible that EMFs may play a role in the initiation of cancer. The EMFs disturbed the signal transduction and membrane systems, such that a five times higher amount of PKC-${\alpha}$ was released from the cell membrane than in the control. Extended exposure to EMFs, for more than 48 hours, also led to 1 $90\%$ necrotic death pattern from apoptotic cell death. Finally, EMF at an intensity of 1mT with a 24-T exposure promoted the differentiation of HL-60 cells to monocytes/macrophages, possibly causing potential acute leukemia.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1085-1092
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• 2010

This paper describes the development of estimating equation for under 16 aged children's exposure to habitat's magnetic field for 24 hours by using particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm, which was carried out by using the measured database collected from the exposure survey to Korean habitat's magnetic field as to under 16 aged Korean students such as preschooler, children in elementary school, and children in middle school. Sex, age, residence type, size of habitation site, distance from power line, and power transmission voltage are used as the input data of estimating 24 hour's personal exposure to magnetic field. And distribution of 24 hour's personal exposure to magnetic field, exposure characteristic to magnetic field, and exposure characteristic to magnetic field according to special conditions, are analyzed for under 16 aged children.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.59-67
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• 2008

Due to the fast increase in cellular phone users, public interest on health effect of electromagnetic fields(EMFs) by cellular phonos is gradually increasing. Some EHS(electromagnetic hypersensitivity) patients complain of psycho-neurophysiological symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, memory loss resulting from RF radiation by CDMA cellular phones. However, EHS is difficult to diagnose and depends on the individual's subjective judgement. And we don't know clearly if the cause of EHS is uneasiness or real exposure. There have been various EHS volunteer studies on heart rate, blood pressure and subjective symptoms using GSM phones. But there are few studies on experimental case-control study investigating physiological parameters, subjective symptoms, and perception of EMFs. In this study, two volunteer groups of 17 self-declared EHS and 19 controls were exposed to both sham and real RF exposure by CDMA cellular phones for half an hour each. We investigated not only the physiological parameters such as heart rates, respiration rates and HRVs(hear rate variability), but also the perception of EMFs and subjective symptoms. As the results, EMF exposure did not have any effects on the subjective symptoms or physiological parameters for both groups. For the EMF perception, there was no evidence that EHS group perceived the EMFs correctly than the control group.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2017

This paper addresses the assessment methods used to evaluate the magnetic exposure of a human to ELF EMF (Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field) which is caused by the process of power delivery from 60 Hz commercial power. These days the main concern is primarily focused on the magnetic field. For the exposure assessment, both numerical studies and laboratory experiments were studied and the results of the two compared for methodological suitability. The numerical analyses employ the Impedance Method (IM), Boundary Element Method (BEM), and Finite Element Method (FEM) and the laboratory experiments used various human phantom models made with conductivities congruent to human organs and then exposed to uniform/non-uniform magnetic fields to produce eddy currents. Under these conditions a number of examples have been evaluated and the reliability assessed to present the pros and cons of each methodology.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.954-963
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• 2017

In this paper, we analyzed the electric/magnetic field distribution and SAR distribution in a human body due to the resonant-type wireless power transfer(WPT) system with an operating frequency of 6.78 MHz. To analyze the field distribution under the unperturbed condition, a prototype system was fabricated and the measured results were compared with the simulation results. For safety during measurement, the available power to the transmitter coil is limited to 1 W. To analyze the induced current density and SAR distribution, a simple human model consisting of three layers, skin, fat, and muscle, was used for the simulation. The electromagnetic wave exposure levels obtained through measurement and simulation were compared with the recommended levels by the ICNIRP.