Heart disease

View of ICNIRP

A major review of epidemiology by ICNIRP published in 2001 concluded:

"In summary, evidence of cardiovascular effects due to elevated exposure to magnetic fields is weak, and whether a specific association exists between exposure and altered autonomic control of the heart remains speculative until corroborating evidence from further large epidemiological studies becomes available." More on ICNIRP

View of NRPB

In its new advice on exposure guidelines in 2004, NRPB stated:

“… evidence for a link with cardiovascular disease is weak.” More on NRPB

View of SCENIHR

SCENIHR is the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks. In their opinion on EMFs in 2007 they stated:

"An effect of heart rate variability seen in laboratory studies was the basis for a hypothesis that ELF exposure might affect the risk of cardiovascular disease and some initial epidemiologic results supported this. However, later well controlled studies have dismissed this hypothesis." more on SCENIHR

View of WHO

The WHO Environmental Health Criteria Monograph published in 2007 concluded:

"Experimental studies of both short-term and long-term exposure indicate that while electric shock is an obvious health hazard, other hazardous cardiovascular effects associated with ELF fields are unlikely to occur at exposure levels commonly encountered environmentally or occupationally. Although various cardiovascular changes have been reported in the literature, the majority of effects are small and the results have not been consistent within and between studies. With one exception, none of the studies of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality has shown an association with exposure.

Whether a specific association exists between exposure and altered autonomic control of the heart remains speculative. Overall, the evidence does not support an association between ELF exposure and cardiovascular disease."

More on the WHO Monograph

See also recent work in the UK on heart disease and EMFs

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