Dangerous e/m fields?

[Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

     The jury is still out on the inherent dangers of exposure to
     electromagnetic fields (i.e., existing studies are contradictory). On
     the side of "use with caution", here are a few factoids that aren't
     often mentioned:
     1. A study a few years back (reported in Science News if you want to
     dig) indicated that e/m fields changed membrane permeability in cells.
     Since permeability should be under the control of the cells, not
     external forces, this is cause for concern. The study has, I believe,
     been replicated a few times, from different angles.
     2. Pulsed electrical fields are used in a standard medical technique
     called "TENS" (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), which
     causes nerve cells to increase their output of neurotransmitters.
     3. Swedish doctors have known for years (North Americans are just now
     beginning to investigate) that AC fields can speed or impede wound
     healing. There's one guy (reported in Discover, about 10 years ago)
     who even uses the technique for routine therapy, and I'm sure I recall
     reading that someone else in North America uses the technique to speed
     healing of broken bones.

     It's true, as has been pointed out many times, that the body's own
     electrical fields are stronger than most of the environmental e/m we
     are exposed to, but one thing you learn from toxicology is that the
     accumulation of minor "insults" to a biological system can be far more
     serious than a single large shock.

     --Geoff Hart  #8^{)}