OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. The debate over whether or not exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is detrimental to health has raged for years. Now researchers at the California-based Kaiser Foundation weigh in with a study that shows a clear association between peak EMF exposure and the risk of miscarriage. Their study involved 1063 women who were in their first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The women went about their regular chores for a day whilst wearing an EMF meter around their waist. The meter recorded their exposure to EMFs every ten seconds.
The researchers found that women who had been exposed to peak radiation levels of 1.6 microtesla or more were twice as likely to have a miscarriage than were women who had not been exposed to such strong fields. Dr. De-Kun Li, the lead researcher, believes that the reason why many previous studies have found no detrimental effects of EMFs is because all studies to date have measured average levels rather than peak levels. He speculates that spikes in EMF could cause miscarriages by disrupting cell-to-cell communications. NOTE: A peak exposure of 1.6 microtesla can easily occur by ordinary use of a hair dryer, vacuum cleaner, blender or electric pencil sharpener.
Li, De-Kun, et al. A population-based prospective cohort study of personal exposure to magnetic fields during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage. Epidemiology, Vol. 13, January 2002, pp. 9-20