Advances in Electromagnetic Fields in Living Systems – serie

Hardly any phenomenon in the modern environment is as ubiquitous as electromagnetic fields and waves. We have learned to understand the physical characteristics of these energy forms, and we have applied them in abundant ways to embellish our ways of life and our standards of living. Furthermore, we have come to depend on them for health, safety, information, comfOli, and conveyance. Apart from their intended roles, these electromagnetic fields and waves produce other effects which may influence the activities of living organisms. The effects produced depend on many physical, chemical, and biological factors. They may be grossly apparent and visible soon after exposure of the living organism or they may not appear to have influenced the organism at all upon casual examination. Even then, there may be subtle changes which are only detectable upon careful chemical or microscopic study, or which are apparent only after a considerable time delay. Nevertheless, our understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with living systems is advancing in a wide range of topical areas. This bi-annual series with invited reviews by recognized leaders in their respective specialties, will present progress to date in key areas of research and scholarship. The guiding philosophy of this undertaking is the presentation of integrated, known, and confilmed phenomenological observations, basic mechanism of interactions, and applications in biology and medicine, as well as perspectives on current topics of interest.

Volume 2 in this series offers research into two specific regions of the electromagnetic spectrum: extremely low frequency fields and radiofrequency radiation, with particular emphasis on the latter. The investigations explore: melatonin synthesis and exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) fields ELF fields and cancer computational bioelectromagnetics health effects, including the carcinogenic potential of radiofrequency radiation radiofrequency radiation as an energy source for arrhythmia, and practical applications of the radiofrequency exposure standard.

This is the third volume in the series, in which the topic of the effects of radio frequencies on human tissue, now increasingly a concern with the prevalence of cell phones, is explored by Prof. Lin and other researchers. The impact of electromagnetics on imaging and cardiology, both very keen areas of research at present, is also explored.

In spite of the remarkable progress that has been made against cancer, the battle is far from over. It is estimated that there are 175,000 new female breast cancer cases, annually, and 40,000 deaths resulting from it in the U. S. In fact, breast cancer incidence rates have shown little change in the 1990s, while breast cancer death rates have been declining about 2percentperyearsince1990[Riesetal. ,1999]. Modernmammographyisrelieduponmost often for breast cancer screening. Mammograms can detect most breast cancers, but they miss some. Its accuracy and sensitivity are age and breast density dependent. For example, the false negative rate is about 25% for women under age 50, with invasive breast cancer [Kerlikowske et al. , 1996; 1997]. It reduces to 10% for women more than 50 years of age. Although the amount of radiation exposure during mammography is minimal - about the same as receiving a dental x-ray, the radiation from mammograms can cause additional breast cancer deaths [Feig, 1996; NIH, 1997]. (It has been estimated that if 10,000 women have yearly mammograms for ten years, the radiation from mammograms will cause one additional breast cancer death. ) Because the absolute bene?t of screening women aged 40 to 49 years is small and there is concern that the harm may be substantial, there have been suggestions that these women should be informed about the potential bene?ts and risks of screening mammography [Kerlikowske, 1997].

Health Effects of Cell Phone Radiation will offer a concentrated and up-to-date overview on the effects of radio frequencies on human tissue. While significant advances are being made on many fronts, ranging in frequency from quasi-static to the optical regime, a special emphasis of this volume is on current understanding of biological interactions of cellular mobile communication radiation. The use of cell-phones has experienced phenomenal growth - some estimate that there will be more than 3.5 billion users of these wireless devices by the end of 2010, worldwide.The widespread impact of these new wireless technologies has raised concerns about the safety of human exposure to radio-frequency (RF) energy emitted by these telecommunication devices. A better understanding of the biological effects of RF electromagnetic field is needed to safeguard against possible harm to the general population. Fortunately in recent years there has been a resurgence of research interest in achieving a quantitative understanding of the relationships between the biological effects of RF radiation and the physical variables that may cause them. A significant number of results have and are beginning to appear in the literature. This volume reviews and assesses the biological effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields from wireless communication technology.

Volume 2 in this series offers research into two specific regions of the electromagnetic spectrum: extremely low frequency fields and radiofrequency radiation, with particular emphasis on the latter. The investigations explore: melatonin synthesis and exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) fields ELF fields and cancer computational bioelectromagnetics health effects, including the carcinogenic potential of radiofrequency radiation radiofrequency radiation as an energy source for arrhythmia, and practical applications of the radiofrequency exposure standard.

In spite of the remarkable progress that has been made against cancer, the battle is far from over. It is estimated that there are 175,000 new female breast cancer cases, annually, and 40,000 deaths resulting from it in the U. S. In fact, breast cancer incidence rates have shown little change in the 1990s, while breast cancer death rates have been declining about 2percentperyearsince1990[Riesetal. ,1999]. Modernmammographyisrelieduponmost often for breast cancer screening. Mammograms can detect most breast cancers, but they miss some. Its accuracy and sensitivity are age and breast density dependent. For example, the false negative rate is about 25% for women under age 50, with invasive breast cancer [Kerlikowske et al. , 1996; 1997]. It reduces to 10% for women more than 50 years of age. Although the amount of radiation exposure during mammography is minimal - about the same as receiving a dental x-ray, the radiation from mammograms can cause additional breast cancer deaths [Feig, 1996; NIH, 1997]. (It has been estimated that if 10,000 women have yearly mammograms for ten years, the radiation from mammograms will cause one additional breast cancer death. ) Because the absolute bene?t of screening women aged 40 to 49 years is small and there is concern that the harm may be substantial, there have been suggestions that these women should be informed about the potential bene?ts and risks of screening mammography [Kerlikowske, 1997].

Hardly any phenomenon in the modern environment is as ubiquitous as electromagnetic fields and waves. We have learned to understand the physical characteristics of these energy forms, and we have applied them in abundant ways to embellish our ways of life and our standards of living. Furthermore, we have come to depend on them for health, safety, information, comfOli, and conveyance. Apart from their intended roles, these electromagnetic fields and waves produce other effects which may influence the activities of living organisms. The effects produced depend on many physical, chemical, and biological factors. They may be grossly apparent and visible soon after exposure of the living organism or they may not appear to have influenced the organism at all upon casual examination. Even then, there may be subtle changes which are only detectable upon careful chemical or microscopic study, or which are apparent only after a considerable time delay. Nevertheless, our understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic fields with living systems is advancing in a wide range of topical areas. This bi-annual series with invited reviews by recognized leaders in their respective specialties, will present progress to date in key areas of research and scholarship. The guiding philosophy of this undertaking is the presentation of integrated, known, and confilmed phenomenological observations, basic mechanism of interactions, and applications in biology and medicine, as well as perspectives on current topics of interest.

This is the third volume in the series, in which the topic of the effects of radio frequencies on human tissue, now increasingly a concern with the prevalence of cell phones, is explored by Prof. Lin and other researchers. The impact of electromagnetics on imaging and cardiology, both very keen areas of research at present, is also explored.