In This Issue...

• Palm Springs Annual EMF Review: Abstracts
• Magnetic Fields on British Trains
• Charles J. Hannan Obituary
• SPBRM Column
• Books
• FDA Hosts EMF Workshop
• Meetings
• Calendar
• Contact Information

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PALM SPRINGS: ANNUAL REVIEW OF EMF HEALTH RESEARCH

ESTIMATING EXPOSURE IN STUDIES OF RESIDENTIAL MAGNETIC FIELDS AND CANCER - IMPORTANCE OF SHORT-TERM VARIABILITY, TIME INTERVAL BETWEEN DIAGNOSIS AND MEASUREMENT, AND DISTANCE TO POWER LINE. M. Feychting,1 W. T. Kaune,2 D. A. Savitz,3 and A. Ahlbom.1 1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 2EM Factors, Richland, Washington 99352, USA. 3Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.

Validity of exposure assessment methods has been a major concern in epidemiological studies of magnetic field exposure and cancer. Exposure has been measured in various ways, ranging from distance between the house and the electrical installation (e.g., power lines, substations, transformers) to 24-hour magnetic field measurements. Results based on different estimates of magnetic field exposure have been inconsistent. Strong-est associations have been found when exposure has been estimated through wire codes or calculated magnetic fields, while no or weak associations have been found based on actual magnetic field measurements. Some studies have found associations using distance alone to estimate exposure.

Objective...We conducted a study to evaluate the relative importance of distance to power lines and calculated historical magnetic fields when estimating past magnetic field exposure. Another goal was to compare results based on various estimates of magnetic field exposure, in order to assess the importance of short-term variability in magnetic fields, time between diagnosis and measurement, and sources of magnetic field exposure. Data from a Swedish case-control study of residential exposure to magnetic fields and childhood leukemia were utilized, supplemented with additional information about contemporaneous exposure estimates.

Results...Childhood leukemia risk was associated with calculated historical annual average magnetic fields regardless of distance, and the association with distance virtually disappeared when both variables were entered into the same logistic regression model. Relative risks for measurements at the time of the study (contemporary annual average fields, spot calculations, and spot measurements) were all close to or below unity.

Discussion...The results support the hypothesis that the effect is related to magnetic field exposure rather than to distance from power line. This does not rule out the possibility that an unmeasured confounding factor, related to magnetic field exposure, may explain the results. The results based on various estimates of magnetic field exposure support the hypothesis that the difference between results using historical calculations and spot measurements is explained by the time interval between diagnosis and contemporary magnetic field estimates. However, these results have to be interpreted cautiously because of the small numbers.

[The work was supported by the National Electrical Safety Board, Sweden, Southern California Edison Company, CA, and the Swedish Council for Social Research.]

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO ELECTROMAG-NETIC FIELDS AND THE RISK OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS. Z. Davanipour,1 E. Sobel,2,1 J. D. Bowman,3 A. D. Will,4 and Z. Qian.2 Departments of 1Neurology and 2Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA. 3National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA. 4WIN Technology, Inc., San Bernardino, California 92408, USA.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenera-tive disease. Previously, "electrical" occupations and severe electrical shock have been associated with the occurrence of ALS.

Objectives...The purpose of this study was to investigate possible risk factors for ALS, including occupational exposures. Data on occupational EMF exposure were analyzed first and are presented here.

Methods...In a case-control study of ALS, lifetime occupational histories were obtained. The patients (n=28) were clinic-based. Controls (n=32) were relatives. The data were used to blindly classify each occupation for each subject as likely having high, moderate or low EMF exposure, based primarily on data from an earlier and unrelated study designed to obtain occupational EMF exposure information among workers in "electrical" and "non-electrical" jobs. A high exposure occupation was one in which average EMF exposure was at least 10 mG or intermittently above 100 mG. A medium exposure occupation had an average exposure between 2 mG and 10 mG and intermittent exposure above 10 mG. All other occupations were classified as having low EMF exposure. Using the length of time each subject spent in each occupation, two indices of exposure were constructed: total lifetime occupational exposure (E1) and average occupational exposure (E2).

Results...Cases spent an average of 2.1 (se=1.4) years in a high EMF exposure occupation versus 0.5 (se=0.4) years for controls. Cases spent an average of 11.8 (se=3.0) years and controls an average of 5.4 (se=1.6) years in a medium exposure occupation. Cases spent significantly (p < 0.04) more years in a medium or high exposure occupation than controls: 13.9 (se=3.2) years versus 5.9 (se=1.7) years. Twenty-two (79%) cases and 30 (94%) controls worked at least 20 years. For subjects with at least 20 years of work experience, the difference in the number of years of work in a medium or high exposure occupation was significantly (p < 0.02) greater: 17.5 (se=3.8) years versus 5.9 (se=1.7) years. For cases and controls with at least 20 years of work experience, the odds ratio (OR) for exposure one standard deviation above the E1 mean relative to minimum exposure was 4.9 (95% CI, 1.3-18.3) and the OR for exposure one standard deviation above the E2 mean relative to minimum exposure was 4.7 (95% CI, 1.3-16.4). For all cases and controls the corresponding ORs were 2.7 (95% CI, 0.9-8.3) for E1 and 2.7 (95% CI, 1.0-7.8) for E2.

Conclusion...The results indicate that occupational exposure to EMF may increase the risk of ALS, particularly long-term exposure.

ACUTE EXPOSURE TO A 60 HZ MAGNETIC FIELD INCREASES DNA SINGLE-STRAND BREAKS IN BRAIN CELLS OF THE RAT. H. Lai and N. P. Singh. Department of Pharmacology and the Center for Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.

Objective...To study the effect of in vivo exposure to a 60-Hz magnetic field on DNA single-strand breaks, a form of DNA damage, in brain cells of the rat.

Method...Rats were exposed to different flux densities of a 60-Hz magnetic field for 2 hours in a Helmholtz coil system. Controls were animals exposed similarly with the coils activated in the "bucking" configuration, i.e., the two coils were activated in an anti-parallel direction to cancel the fields generated by each other. Four hours after exposure, we isolated cells from the brain of the animals and assayed DNA damage in each cell using the "microgel electrophoresis" (comet) assay. We quantified DNA damage by measuring the length of DNA migration. All experiments were run blind.

Results and Conclusion...Our results show an increase in DNA single-strand breaks in brain cells of rats after exposure to a 60-Hz magnetic field at a flux density > 0.1 mT.

[This work was supported by DOE/NIEHS RAPID Program (ES-06290).]

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MAGNETIC FIELDS ON BRITISH TRAINS

With the exception of three airport 'people movers,' all the major electrified transport systems in the UK are conventional 'steel wheel on steel rail' railways. The majority of British Rail mainline electric services use an overhead 50 Hz supply but all the other conventional rail systems are supplied with (nominally) direct current (DC). Of these DC systems, all except trams and the majority of the Light Rapid Transit systems are supplied via one or two additional rails.

Irrespective of the nature of the supply current, most trains until recently have had DC traction motors. This means that the alternating current supplied by the generating station must be rectified at some point, either before it is supplied to the train or else on-board. On-board rectification requires a smoothing inductor which has proved to be a major source of static and 100 Hz magnetic fields. Even for systems which are supplied with nominal DC there is little smoothing at the rectification stage (because three or six phase rectification is used) and there is often a significant alternating component in the 'static' or quasi-static magnetic fields from the traction components of the train. At rest, DC traction motors have a very low electrical impedance and it is necessary to limit the start-up current to the motor to prevent it from burning out. In older stock, banks of resistors are switched out progressively as the train accelerates. This rheostatic current control is wasteful of power and in newer stock current limitation is achieved by switching the DC supply on and off very rapidly. The mean current to the motor is determined by the mark-to-space ratio of the chopped supply. This technique can impose audiofrequency interference on to the supply, and line-filter inductors are used to reduce this. The intention is to replace most of the DC traction motors with variable-frequency, variable-voltage AC motors; solid state devices generate the alternating current from a DC supply so that rectification, either of the supply or else on-board the train, would still be necessary.

The major sources of magnetic fields on trains are not the motors themselves, which are designed to minimize flux leakage, but smoothing and line-filter inductors. So far there have been few surveys of the magnetic fields in British trains, but the measurements that are available have been summarized here.

This is a DC 600 V system, in which there is one extra rail to supply current at +400V and one at -200 V to act as a return. The current in the supply rail is equal in magnitude to that in the return. Each train consists of six or seven cars, some or all of which are powered. Each motor car is essentially self-contained, with its own pick-up shoes, and there is no traction current flowing from car to car. Rheostatic current limiting is used for the first few seconds of acceleration and typical maximum current requirements is up to 4000 A for a fully loaded modern train.

In addition to magnetic fields produced by the motors and traction circuitry, there will be contributions from auxiliary power supplies for air compressors, heating and lighting.

Static (more strictly quasi-static) magnetic flux densities of 0.1 to 2.0 mT have been measured at floor-level in the passenger compartment of the motor car of an underground train under power. At floor-level in the driver's cab, the flux density was 0.2 mT. At a height of 1 m, all measured flux densities were at or below 0.2 mT. The NRPB basic restriction on 24 hour averaged exposure to static magnetic fields is 200 mT.

A useful illustration of the relative contributions of magnetic field from the various parts of the traction circuitry was given by an experimental train which was modified to use chopped DC traction current limitation. In this case localized floor-level flux densities up to 44 mT were recorded. At seat height, a flux density up to 2 mT was measured. No measurements were made in the driver's cab. The likely explanation is that the field arose from an air-cored line-filter inductor under the floor. It should be stressed that this design is not in use on the underground system.

Alternating fields on both the standard and experimental trains have flux densities of less than about 20 µT. The NRPB investigation level is 1.6 mT at 50 Hz and 800 µT at 100 Hz.

This system, in which power is supplied at 750 V DC via a third rail, is also used on some mainline trains around and to the south of London and for BR Merseyrail. The current return is via the running rails. Each train consists of one or more electrical multiple units (EMU): these are sets of two, three or four cars, of which one or two (the motor cars) have traction motors on the bogies. Each EMU is self-contained but there may be traction power connections between the motor cars. There are four DC motors in each EMU and the total current requirement for a twelve car train would be several thousand amperes. In a modern twelve car train with AC motors and air conditioning, the current requirement could be up to 8000 A.

Again, rheostatic current limiting is used for the DC motors, sometimes in the form of solenoidal windings which could be a major source of magnetic field. All the traction and control circuitry, AC or DC, is mounted under the steel floor between the bogies. The drivers' cars are not usually motor cars and, even if they are, the driver is further from the source of the fields than the passengers. There will also be auxiliary power supplies under the floors.

Alternating magnetic flux densities in the range from 16 to 64 µT have been recorded at table height in 750 V DC EMUs. Outside the train, on the platform of the station, flux densities of 16 to 48 µT have been observed. Meas-urements made in a train with a variable-frequency AC induction motor indicate that magnetic flux densities 0.15 m above the smoothing inductor, again the greatest source of exposure, would be up to 1 mT. This would be a DC field with AC modulation.

These use one or two (articulated) car 'trains' and, with the exception of the traditional low powered tramways, such as that at Blackpool, they are similar to the 750 V DC third rail system described above, although the vehicles are physically lighter. On-board exposure levels should be similar to those on the 750 V DC third rail systems.

The Docklands Light Railway is a conventional third rail 750 V DC system but the others have overhead wire supplies. The Greater Manchester Metrolink, the South Yorkshire Supertram and the planned Midland Metro use a 750 V DC overhead supply, while the Tyne and Wear Metro works at 1500 V DC (and hence half the current). The Tyne and Wear Metro is probably the last of the LRTs to use rheostatic current limiting, the others use chopping.

One feature of these systems is that the stops are usually close together. The train accelerates away from the stop for 10-20 s and then coasts to the next station. In contrast, mainline trains are powered continually.

BR mainline electric systems, except those around and to the south of London, have an overhead 25 kV 50 Hz supply and, because the supply voltage is high, the current drawn is comparatively low: typically 100 A per train. The return is via the running rails, but to avoid safety and electrical interference problems associated with large rail currents and earth leakage, this is often diverted to an overhead return conductor.

Two general types of trains are used, both featuring on-board rectification. On fast 'Intercity' routes, an electric locomotive pulls or pushes a formation of coaches. Traction power is confined to the individual locomotive.

EMUs similar to those of the suburban system are used also, and here magnetic flux densities up to 15 mT have been found at floor-level above an air-cored inductor. One early type of EMU had to be modified by the addition of a 2.5 cm steel plate in order to reduce the floor-level flux density to 15 mT; in later types the flux density was reduced to 5 mT and then to 1 mT. These fields have 100 Hz modulation with the static and time-varying components being of similar magnitude. These trains have on-board transformers but the flux leakage from these is deliberately minimized to prevent the transformer tank (6 mm steel) from undergoing eddy current heating.

Electric locomotives differ from EMUs in that the traction circuitry, including the smoothing inductors, is in a separate care from the passengers. The cabs are made of glass-reinforced plastic but there is a steel bulkhead between the cab and the equipment compartment. Under power, quasi-static magnetic flux densities up to 27 µT have been recorded at 1.4 m above the floor in the driver's cab. In the walkway through the equipment car, the flux densities are up to 2 mT. At 0.5 m above the floor, the maximum static flux density in the equipment car has been found to be 3 mT and the maximum 100 Hz flux density 2.5 mT. Typical static flux densities to which passengers might be exposed are less than 30 µT.

The figure shows the power-frequency magnetic flux density recorded on an Intercity electric train on the east coast mainline between Leeds and London. The recording device was a logging magnetic field dose-meter worn by a seated passenger. Typical exposure flux densities are less than 5 µT. Moving up and down the train indicated higher exposures at the ends of the cars and the peak flux densities of 30 µT were recorded in the buffet car. The likely explanation lies with the auxiliary power supplies on the train - along most of the coach the wires of this supply run together, but at the ends they split to separate connectors between coaches. The current in this system is up to 600 A. The buffet has a single phase 50 Hz, 33 kV A supply.

There are at present three of these in the UK, all at airports. Those at Stansted and Gatwick essentially are the same. The concrete tracks are up to 1200 m long and trains of up to three cars are guided along them, running pneumatic tires. Mechanical constraint is by hard rubber wheels on a central steel I-beam. Power is supplied by conductor rails at 600 V AC, three phase, to two 300 V DC motors in each car. Thyristor control is used and the track current is 80 A per car. No measurements of flux density have been reported, but there is only one small inductor in each car and so exposure is likely to be low.

Birmingham Airport has the only MAGLEV system in the UK. This is conventional (i.e., not superconducting) and each vehicle is levitated by eight 0.8 T DC electromagnets. Electromagnet currents are controlled by chopping the DC supply and there is an air-cored line-filter inductor under each car. Traction is by variable-frequency, variable-voltage linear induction motor. The floors of the cars are 6.4 mm aluminum plate. There was a program of measurement of the magnetic fields inside the cars when the system was commissioned, and it was established that there should be no effect on pacemakers or credit cards. It has not proved possible to find the actual results of these measurements, except in one pacemaker study where static flux densities up to 0.5 mT were recorded.

This article describes the maximum static and alternating magnetic flux densities recorded at floor-level and at waist-height on various transport systems. The amplitudes of the 'static' fields usually will vary over a period of a few seconds, and indeed they might be better described as 'quasi-static,' but the NRPB investigation levels make no distinction between static magnetic fields and those with a frequency of less than 0.4 Hz.

In all cases the measured waist-height static flux densities are much less than the basic restriction of 200 mT on time-weighted average exposure to static magnetic fields. However, floor-level flux densities in all systems are such that it is impossible to exclude the possibility that pacemakers or other sensitive prosthetic devices might be affected at some positions.

None of the measured whole-body alternating magnetic fields approaches the NRPB investigation levels, although floor-level alternating flux densities in BR suburban and mainline EMUs may be rather greater.

The sources of these high floor-level magnetic fields are smoothing and line-filter inductors which in EMUs and underground trains are under some of the passenger compartments. As a result, passengers tend to be exposed to higher flux densities than drivers. In contrast, mainline locomotives have self-contained traction cars from which passengers are excluded. Staff do have access to the traction cars and they are likely to be exposed to higher flux densities than passengers.

Background power-frequency magnetic flux densities in homes are usually below 0.2 µT. In homes near powerlines, it is possible to measure magnetic flux densities of several microtesla. Exposure levels on trains may be rather higher than this. Very close to domestic appliances, the flux density may exceed a millitesla and again this is less than some train floor-level flux densities.

* NRPB. Restrictions on exposure to static and time varying electromagnetic fields and radiation. Doc. NRPB, 4, No. 5, pp. 7-63, 1993.

[NRBP acknowledges the help of a large number of people from a wide range of organizations, and in particular to staff of British Rail, BREL Ltd., GEC Alsthom Ltd., Asea Brown Boveri Transportation Ltd. and London Underground Ltd. for allowing access to unpublished data.]

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CHARLES J. HANNAN: 1947-1995

Charles Hannan attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where he earned B.A. and M.S. degrees in Microbiology. He received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA in 1976 during which time he was listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke for work at the Medical College of Georgia from 1976-1977. He subsequently served as a Research Associate at both the Medical College of Georgia and the Augusta Veterans' Administration Hospital (Department of Nuclear Medicine). From 1977-1991, he served in the U.S. Army as Chief of the Departments of Clinical Investigations in Fort Gordon, GA, Tacoma, WA, and Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD before rejoining the Medical College of Georgia as an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and the VA Medical Center in Augusta, GA in 1991. He was a member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Neurosciences Society, the Georgia Heart Association, Sigma Xi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Medical College of Georgia Brain Club. Dr. Hannan joined the Bioelectromagnetics Society in 1993 as an Associate Member and participated in the 1995 BEMS meeting, presenting a paper on how magnetic fields might facilitate chemotherapy treatments of otherwise multidrug resistant human tumor cells.

Dr. Hannan's quiet presence and notable red hair accompanied an extraordinarily pleasant manner. At the time of his death he was interested in learning more about the ion parametric resonance model and how he might apply it to his research efforts. Though he was just beginning to work in bioelectromagnetics, his efforts showed much promise. For those BEMS members fortunate enough to interact with him, the loss is enormous.

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SOCIETY FOR PHYSICAL REGULATION IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE COLUMN

Each year the Program Committee of the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine (SPRBM) recognizes outstanding contributions in physical regulation in biology and medicine by presenting several awards. The awards are given, based on meeting abstracts and presentations, for excellence in the quality and originality of the work, the clarity of writing and presentation, and the importance of the work to the Society goals. This column features the New Clinical Investigator Award winner. The column appearing in the next issue of the Newsletter will feature the Iwao Yasuda Award winner.

At the 15th Annual Meeting of SPRBM in October 1995, W. Robert Taylor, M.D., Ph.D. was given the New Clinical Investigator Award for his podium presentation entitled "Does Systemic Arterial Hypertension Induce Oxidative Stress Within the Arterial Wall via Mechanical Deformation?" This presentation addressed the hypothesis that the induction of an oxidative stress within the arterial wall, due to mechanical deformation, is an early step in the pathogenesis of hypertensive vasculopathy. The award winning abstract by W. R. Taylor, R. W. Alexander and A. B. Howard is produced in full in the Transactions of the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine. Dr. Taylor provided the summary of his work that is shown below.

It is well known that hypertension, like arteriosclerosis, is associated with an inflammatory response within the arterial wall. Previous animal studies have shown that this inflammatory response and the subsequent development of vascular hypertrophy are due in large part to mechanical deformation of the vascular wall. Dr. Taylor's group hypothesized that mechanical deformation of vascular cells results in reactive oxygen species generation, which may be an early signal for the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the vessel wall and vascular hypertrophy. To test this hypothesis, Dr. Taylor and his collaborators examined the effect of cyclic deformation on production of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidation products by cultured endothelial cells. They found that a 20% deformation of cultured endothelial cells applied at a frequency of 1 Hz resulted in markedly augmented production of hydrogen peroxide and peroxidation products. This augmentation did not occur when the cells were exposed to constant deformation, suggesting that the cyclic component was an important factor in signal transduction. The source of reactive oxygen species production was determined to be NADH/NADPH oxidase, since the enzyme activity was markedly up-regulated in cells exposed to cyclic deformation. Thus, these studies suggest that mechanical deformation of the cellular components of the vascular wall may represent an early, important stimulus for vascular hypertrophy that functions via the generation of reactive oxygen species by the components of the vessel wall.

Dr. Taylor received his Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He subsequently completed a cardiology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

[Any comments or suggestions regarding topics of interest for this column are welcome from both SPRBM and BEMS members. Please contact Laura MacGinitie, Dept. of Engineering, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447, (206-535-7407) or Mark Otter, Department of Orthopaedics, State University of NY, T18-030 Health Science Center, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8181 (516-444-7671).]

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BOOKS

Edited by Martin Blank, Columbia University, New York. Advances in Chemistry Series No. 250. Published by the American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. 550 pages (1995) Clothbound, ISBN 0-8412-3135-4. Cost $116.95. To order, call toll free 1-800-227-5558, in the U.S. and Canada; in the Washington, D.C. area call 202-872-4363; Fax: 202-872-6067.

This book presents a timely multifaceted examination of electromagnetic fields, including the physical characteristics of environmental electromagnetic fields, intrinsic biological fields, health-related risks, therapeutic applications, and transduction mechanisms. It examines the signal-to-noise problem of biological effects due to low-intensity electromagnetic fields. Various chapters describe the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of interaction of electromagnetic fields with cells. The book proposes a mechanistic chain of causality which links the physical transduction to cellular processes.

Contents include an overview of the biological effects of electromagnetic fields by M. Blank (Columbia University). The overview is followed by six sections.

Physical Characteristics of Environmental EM Fields..."Spectrum and Intensity of Environmental Electromagnetic Fields from Natural and Man-Made Sources," T. S. Tenforde (Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories); "Typical Electric and Magnetic Field Exposures at Power Line Frequencies and their Coupling to Biological Systems," F. S. Barnes (University of Colorado, Boulder); "Bioelectromagnetic Dosimetry," C. Polk (University of Rhode Island); and "Issues Relating to Causality of Bioelectromagnetic Effects," J. C. Weaver (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and R. D. Astumian (University of Chicago).

Intrinsic Biological Fields..."Comparison of Endogenous Currents in and Around Cells with those Induced by Exogenous Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields," H. Wachtel (University of Colorado, Boulder); "Endogenous Electric Fields Measured in Developing Embryos," R. Nuccitelli (University of California, Davis); "Streaming and Piezoelectric Potentials in Connective Tissues," L. A. MacGinitie (Pacific Lutheran University); and "Electric Stimulation of Protein Synthesis in Muscle," M. Blank (Columbia University).

Health Related Aspects: Risk..."Epidemiologic Studies and their Role in Identifying Potential Risks from Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields," G. M. Matanoski (The Johns Hopkins University); "Magnetic Field Exposure Assessment," R. Kavet (Electric Power Research Institute); "Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer: Laboratory Studies," L. E. Anderson and L. B. Sasser (Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories); and "Electric and Magnetic Field Mitigation Strategies," D. Fugate, W. Feero and F. Dietrich (Electric Research and Management, Inc.).

Health Related Aspects: Therapeutic Applications..."Bio-electromagnetics in the Service of Medicine," C. A. L. Bassett (Columbia University); "Therapeutic Aspects of Electromagnetic Fields for Soft Tissue Healing," B. F. Sisken and J. Walker (University of Kentucky); "Electromagnetic Heating for Cancer Treatment," C. K. Chou (City of Hope National Medical Center); and "Tissue Electroporation for Localized Drug Delivery," J. C. Weaver and R. Langer (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and R. O. Potts (Cygnus).

Biophysical Aspects of Transduction Mechanisms..."The Role of Coherence in Electromagnetic Field-Induced Bioeffects: The Signal-to-Noise Dilemma," J. M. Mullins, T. A. Litovitz, and C. J. Montrose (Catholic University); "Electric and Magnetic Field Signal Transduction in the Membrane Na,K-adenosinetriphosphatase," M. Blank (Columbia University); "The Role of Cell and Tissue Calcium in Transducing the Effects of Exposure to Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields," K. J. McLeod (State University of New York, Stony Brook); "Magneto-reception and Electromagnetic Field Effects: Sensory Perception of the Geomagnetic Field in Animals and Humans," A. Kobayashi and J. L. Kirschvink (California Institute of Technology); and "Magnetokinetic Effects on Radical Pairs: A Paradigm for Magnetic Field Interactions with Biological Systems at Lower than Thermal Energy," J. Wallaczek (Veterans' Medical Center, Loma Linda).

Cellular Mechanisms..."Biosynthetic Stress Response in Cells Exposed to Electromagnetic Fields," R. Goodman and M. Blank (Columbia University); "Membrane Signal-Transduction Mechanisms and Biological Effects of Low-Energy Electromagnetic Fields," R. A. Luben (University of California, Riverside); "Melatonin Suppression by Time-Varying and Time-Invariant Electromagnetic Fields," R. J. Reiter (University of Texas); and "Effects of Radio-Frequency Radiation on Mammalian Cells and Biomolecules In Vitro," S. F. Cleary (Medical College of Virginia).

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FDA HOSTS BEMS WORKSHOP ON POSSIBLE MECHANISMS OF BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF EMFS

The agenda included and introduction and opening remarks by Ewa Czerska, FDA. Other presenters included: Kjell Hansson Mild, National Institute for Working Life, Umea, Sweden - "Replication Experiments - Why is it so Difficult? Personal Reflections From 'Henhouse' to Ca-oscillations;" Richard Luben, University of California, Riverside - "EMF Effects on Protein Kinases in Mammalian Signal Transduction;" Theodore Litovitz, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC - "How Do Temporal Characteristics of EM Fields Determine Bioeffects;" John Ning, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence - "Mechanisms of Electromagnetic Field Interaction with Human Cells;" Janie Blanchard, Bechtel, San Francisco, CA - "Review of Experimental Support for the Ion Parametric Resonance Model;" and Eugene Goodman, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha - "Cell-free Systems as a Tool Examining EMF-Bioeffects."

Questions concerning the workshop may be directed to Dr. Ewa Czerska, 301-443-7197.

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MEETINGS

Opening Remarks - Professor Martin Blank, Columbia University, New York. Platform sessions will be followed by a panel discussion. Sessions are outlined below.

Session - Tuesday a.m. "Soft and Hard Tissue Therapies (including non-union fractures)." Chairman - Professor Arthur Pilla, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. Three papers of 30 minutes.

Session - Tuesday p.m. "Motile Tissue Therapies (including hematological and immune system)." Chairman - Dr. Carlos Nogueira, Institute of Homeopathy, Valladolid, Spain. Four papers of 30 minutes.

Session - Wednesday a.m. "Pulsating and Static Devices: The Evidence (including laboratory clinical trial experience)." Chairman - Dr. Sergei Gerasimov, Lvov Medical University, Ukraine. Four papers of 30 minutes.

Session - Wednesday p.m. "Mechanisms of Interaction at the Cellular and Molecular Levels." Chairman - Jiri Jerabek, National Institute of Health, Czech Republic. Three papers of 30 minutes.

Concluding Panel Discussion - Wednesday p.m. "Today's New Electromagnetic Disorders and Their Treatment."

An exhibition of magnetotherapy products from Japan, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, United States, Denmark, Australia and other countries will be displayed. There will be a demonstration of modern magnetotherapy in action.

For additional information, contact Coghill Research Laboratories, Lower Race, Gwent NP4 5UH, Wales, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44 1495 763389; Fax: +44 1495 769882; Email: 100771.1170@compuserve.com

FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BIOELECTROMAGNETISM: June 9-13, Ragnar Granit Institute, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland.

Invited speakers at the First International Conference on Bioelectromagnetism (ICBEM) follow. The scientific program of the conference will cover all aspects of bioelectromagnetism. The scientific sessions are under preparation. The sessions will include both invited papers, invited by the Scientific Committee based on the recommendations of the session organizers, and submitted papers. New scientific sessions under different topics will be considered by the Scientific Committee. New scientific sessions will also be organized on the basis of submitted papers.

State-of-the-Art Lectures. "EEG," Dr. Alan Gevins, EEG Systems Laboratory, San Francisco, USA; "Electro-cardiology," Professor Peter Macfarlane, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK; "Bioimpedance," Professor Ivar Giaever, Norwegian Academy of Sciences (Nobel Prize for Physics, 1973); and "Electric Field Stimulation of Cardiac Tissue," Professor Robert Plonsey, Duke University, USA.

Tutorial Lectures. "Cellular Electrophysiology," Professor Roger Barr, Duke University, USA; and "Mathematical Theory Behind Bioelectromagnetism," Professor David Geselowitz, Pennsylvania State University, USA; and "Modeling the Cardiac Electric Field," Professor Adriaan van Oosterom, Nijmegen University, The Netherlands.

Scientific Session Topics - Session Organizers. (1) Bioelectromagnetism - Jaakko Malmivuo malmivuo@cc.tut.fi - Robert Plonsey bob@plonz.egr.duke.edu (2) Biological Effects of Magnetic Fields(3) Bioimpedance - Tapani Lahtinen tlahtine@messi.uku.fi (4) Cardiac Electric Modeling - Adriaan van Oosterom admin@mbfys.kun.nl - Geertjan Huiskamp - geertjan@mbfys.kun.nl (5) Electrocardiology - Peter Macfarlane pwm@cardio.glasgow.ac.uk (6) Electric and Magnetic Stimulation of the Central Nervous System - Hannu Eskola eskola@cc.tut.fi (7) Electroencephalography and Magnetoencephalography - Alan Gevins alan@eeg.com (8) Electrophysiology - Craig Henriques ch@bmesparc.egr.duke.edu (9) History of Bioelectromagnetism (10) Laplacian Electrocardiography - Bin He bhe@eecs.uic.edu (11) Magnetocardiography - Jaakko Malmivuo malmivuo@cc.tut.fi (12) Neural Networks in EEG Analysis - Gert Pfurtscheller pfu@dpmi.tu-graz.ac.at

For additional information, please contact each Session Organizer, if one is given, or the Secretariat of the 1st ICBEM, Ragnar Granit Institute, Tampere University of Technology, P. O. Box 692, FIN-33101 Tampere, Finland. (Tel: +358-31-316-2524; Fax: +358-31-316-2162: Email: nbc@ee.tut.fi; WWW Home Page: http://www.ee.tut.fi/~nbc96/

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CALENDAR

March 10-14: 35th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT), Convention Center, Anaheim, CA. Contact: SOT, 1767 Business Center Dr., Suite 302, Reston, VA 22090. (Tel: 703-438-3115; Fax: 703-438-3113)

March 12: EMFs and the Public's Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Contact: Rhonda Roby, NJ Public Health Association, 470 Piaget Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011. (Tel: 201-340-4645; Fax: 201-340-4645)

March 18-20: 1996 International Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exhibition, Novotel Centre, Hammersmith, London, U.K. Contact: Transmission & Distribution, 9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212. (Tel: 913-341-1300; Fax: 913-967-1898)

March 24-28: 27th Annual Meeting of the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS), Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC, Canada. Contact: EMS, 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 8, Reston, VA 22090. (Tel: 703-437-4377; Fax: 703-435-4390)

April 3-4: 32nd Annual Meeting of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), Crystal City Marriott, Arlington, VA. Contact: NCRP, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814. (Tel: 301-657-2652; Fax: 301-907-8768)

April 8-12: Symposium on Microwave Processing of Materials, Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA. Contact: Magdy Iskander, University of Utah, Electrical Engineering Department, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. (Tel: 801-581-6944; Fax: 801-581-5281)

April 9-11: 58th Annual Meeting of the American Power Conference, Marriott Downtown Hotel, Chicago, IL. Contact: Robert Porter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616. (Tel: 312-567-3196; Fax: 312-567-3892)

April 9-12: International Magnetics Conference, Seattle, WA. Contact: Diane Suiters, Courtesy Associates, 655 15th St., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005. (Tel: 202-639-5088; Fax: 202-347-6109)

April 9-12: 7th International Congress for Hypothermic Oncology, Rome, Italy. Contact: Cafiero Franconi, Department of Internal Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Via O. Raimondo, I-00173 Rome, Italy. (Tel: +39 6 723 5170; Fax: +39 6 725 92821)

April 10-12: 3rd International Conference on Computation in Electromagnetics (CEM), University of Bath, U.K. Contact: CEM Secretariat, IEE Conference Services, Savoy Place, London WC2R OBL, U.K. (Tel: +44 171 240 1871; Fax: +44 171 497 3633)

April 14-19: 1996 International Congress on Radiation Protection (IRPA), Congress Center Hofburg, Vienna, Austria. See Newsletter 122 for details. Contact: Congress Secretariat, IRPA 9 Congress Organizing Committee, Austropa-Interconvention, P. O. Box 30, A-1043 Vienna, Austria. (Tel +43 1 58800 299, 113; Fax: +43 1 586 7127; Telex: 133 501 vbtx a; Email austropa@oevb.co.at)

April 22-25: Third International Non-Ionizing Radiation Workshop, Baden, Austria. Organized by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). See Newsletter 122 for details. Contact: Austropa-Interconvention , P.O. Box 30, A-1043 Vienna, Austria Tel: +43 1 58800 299, 113; Fax: +43 1 586 7127; Telex: 133 501 vbtx a; Email austropa@oevb.co.at]

April 26-May 3: American Occupational Health Conference (AOHC), Convention Center, San Antonio, TX. Contact: Nancy Olson, Director of Conferences & Meetings, AOHC, 55 West Seegers Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. (Tel: 708-228-6850; Fax: 708-228-1856)

April 27-May 3: 4th Scientific Meeting and Exhibition of the Society of Magnetic Resonance (SMR), New York, NY. Contact: SMR, 2118 Milvia St., Suite 201, Berkeley, CA 94704. (Tel: 510-841-1899; Fax: 510-841-2340)

April 28-May 3: 1996 Electricity Conference and Exposition, Montreal, PQ, Canada. Contact: Canadian Electrical Association, 1 Westmount Sq., Suite 1600, Montreal H3Z 1P9, Canada. (Tel: 514-937-6181; Fax: 514-937-6498)

May 5-9: 1996 National Conference on Radiation Control, Hilton Hotel, Albuquerque, NM. Contact: Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, 205 Capital Ave., Frankfort, KY 40601. (Tel: 502-227-4543; Fax: 502-227-7862)

May 7-8: Magnetotherapy: The 21st Century Medicine, The Royal Society of Medicine, London. Contact: Coghill Research Laboratories, Lower Race, Gwent NP4 5UH, Wales, U.K. (Tel: +44 1495 763389; Fax: +44 1495 769882)

May 13-16: 1996 IEEE National Radar Conference, Ann Arbor, MI. Contact: Adam Kozma, University of Michigan Conferences and Seminars, 600 East Madison, Room G121, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. (Tel: 313-663-5748; Fax: 313-764-1557)

May 18-24: 1996 American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exposition (AIHCE), Convention Center, Washington, DC. Contact: AIHCE, 2700 Prosperity Ave., Suite 250, Fairfax, VA 22031. (Fax: 703-207-3561)

May 20-22: 1996 International Conference on Electromagnetic Energy, Washington Vista Hotel, Washington, DC. Contact: Amy Nelson, Electromagnetic Energy Association, 1255 Twenty-Third St., NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20037-1174 (Tel: 202-452-1070; Fax: 202-833-3636)

May 27-31: 1996 American Electromagnetics Conference, Convention Center, Albuquerque, NM. Contact: Chris Jones, Metatech Corp., P.O. Box 37378, Albuquerque, NM 87176. (Tel: 505-243-0681; Fax: 505-243-0683)

June 1-5: 31st Annual Meeting & Exposition of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, PA. Contact: AAMI Education and Conferences Department, 3330 Washington Blvd., Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22201. (Tel: 703-525-4890; Fax: 703-276-0793)

June 4-6: IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference, Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Brussels, Belgium. Contact: Robert Myers, 3685 Motor Ave., Suite 240, Los Angeles, CA 90045. (Tel: 310-287-1463; Fax: 310-287-1851)

June 9-12: Annual Conference of the Canadian Radiation Protection Association, Trois-Rivieres, PQ, Canada. Contact: Claude Dufour, Hydro-Quebec/Centrale Nucleaire Gentilly-2, 4900 B1. Becancour, Gentilly G0X 1G0, Canada. (Tel: 819-298-2943, ext. 5138; Fax: 819-298-5660)

June 9-13: 10th Nordic-Baltic Conference on Biomedical Engineering, Ragnar Granit Institute, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland. Contact: Secretary of the 10th NBCBME, Ragnar Granit Institute, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 692, FIN-33101 Tampere, Finland (Tel: +358 31 316 2162; Fax: +358 31 316 2524; E-mail: nbc@ee.tut.fi)

June 9-14: THE 18th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BIOELECTROMAGNETICS SOCIETY (BEMS), The Conference Centre, Victoria, BC, Canada. Contact: BEMS, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519. (Tel: 301-663-4252; Fax: 301-371-8955; Email 75230,1222)

June 13-15: 29th Annual Meeting of the Society for Epidemiological Research (SER), Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, MA. Contact: Stacey Norin, SER, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore, MD 21202. (Tel: 410-223-1626; Fax: 410-223-1620)

June 17-20: Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements (CPEM), Braunschweig, Germany. Contact: CPEM Conference Secretary, Physikalisch-Technische, Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, Braunschweig D-38116 Germany. (Tel: +49 531 592 2129; Fax: +49 531 592 2105)

June 17-21: 1996 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, San Francisco, CA. Contact: MTT-S Symposium 1996, c/o LRW Associates, 1218 Balfour Dr., Arnold, MD 21012. (Tel: 707-577-3658; Fax: 707-577-2036)

June 21: 46th Automatic RF Techniques (ARFTG) Conference, San Francisco, CA. Contact: Mohamed Sayed. ARFTG Program Chair, 1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy., Santa Rosa, CA 95403. (Tel: 707-577-3565; Fax: 707-577-2887)

June 25-28: 13th International Wroclaw Symposium and Exhibition on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Wroclaw, Poland. Contact: EMC Symposium and Exhibition, Box 2141, 51-645 Wroclaw 12, Poland. (Tel: +48 71 72 8812; Fax: +48 71 22 3473)

July 21-26: 1996 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium and International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Meeting, Hyatt Regency, Baltimore, MD. Contact: Libby Croston, Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723. (Tel: 301-953-5225; Fax: 301-953-6123)

August 17-21: 8th Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Contact: Michelle Hoyle, 44 Lister Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H6 Canada. (Tel: 403-492-4281; Fax: 403-492-7032)

August 28-September 5: XXVth General Assembly of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Commission K, Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine [Chair: Prof. P. Bernardi (Italy), Vice Chair: Prof. J. C. Lin (USA)], Lille Grand Palais, Lille, France. Contact: Secretariat Pr. P. Degauque, Universite de Lille 1, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France (Tel: +33 20 337206, Fax: +33 20 337207, Email: agursi@univ-lille1.fr)

September 9-12: 26th European Microwave Conference, Hilton Atrium, Prague, Czech Republic. Contact: Gillian Shinar, Nexus Information Technology, Nexus House, Swanley, Kent BR8 8HY U.K. (Tel: +44 1322 660 070; Fax: +44 1322 661 257) or Prof. Jan Machac, 26th EuMC Conference Secretary, Czech Technical University, Technicka 2, 16627 Prague 6 Czech Republic.

September 15-20: IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition, Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. Contact: IEEE PES, 445 Hoes Lane, P. O. Box 1331, Piscataway, NJ 08855. (Tel: 908-562-3881; Fax: 908-981-1769)

September 15-20: 25th International Congress on Occupational Health (ICOH), Stockholm, Sweden. Contact: ICOH Congress, Box 6911, S-102 39 Stockholm, Sweden. ([Tel: +46 8 736 1500; Fax: +46 8 348 441)

September 17-20: 1996 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, University of Rome, Italy. Contact: Mauro Feliziani, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, I-00184 Rome Italy. (Tel: +39 6 445 85809; Fax: +39 6 488 3235)

October 22: 1st IEEE Workshop on the Application of ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992, Wilmington, DE. Contact: Donald Zipse, Zipse Electrical Engineering Inc., 671 Kadar Dr., West Chester, PA 19382. (Tel: 610-358-1462: Fax: 610-793-1693)

October 31-November 3: 18th Annual International Conference IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Contact: Michael Neuman, Program Co-Chair, MetroHealth Medical Center, 2500 MetroHealth Dr., Cleveland, OH 44109. (Fax: 216-459-4608)

November 3-7: International Conference on Radiation and Health (ICRH), Beer Sheva, Israel. Contact: ICRH, Ortra Ltd., 2 Kaufman St., Textile Center, P.O. Box 50432, Tel Aviv 61500, Israel. (Tel: +972 3 517 7888; Fax: +972 3 517 4433)

November 12-14: International Symposium on Antennas, Universite de Nice, France. Contact: Conference Secretariat, CNET-PAB, F-06320 La Turbie, France. (Fax: +33 93 41 0229)

November 17-21: DOE-EPRI Annual Review of Research on Biological Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields from the Generation, Delivery, and Use of Electricity, St. Anthony's Hotel, San Antonio, TX. Contact: W/L Associates Ltd., 7519 Ridge Rd., Frederick, MD 21702. (Tel: 301-663-1915; Fax: 301-371-8955)

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Contact Information

C. Jordan Evans, Editor

For Newsletter items, contact the Editor of the Newsletter. For other Society business, contact: The Bioelectromagnetics Society, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519. Tel. (301) 663-4252; Fax (301) 371-8955; E-mail 75230.1222@compuserve.com. 

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