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4B - Human health and environmental connections (WEP/192) The use of the Tradescantia-micronucleus bioassay for the detection of genotoxic effects of electromagnetic fields. Pickl, Christina1, Lehmann, Hugo2, Urech, Martin3, 1 OekoTox Ltd., Stuttgart, Germany, Germany2 Swisscom AG, Bern, Switzerland, Switzerland3 puls-environmental consulting, Bern, Switzerland, Switzerland ABSTRACT- Investigations of mutagenic effects of electromagnetic fields on biological systems show contradictory results. Rapid increases in the applications of electromagnetic fields produce a need to clarify their potential effect. Therefore, the present experiments were carried out to investigate the genotoxic effects of short-wave as well as mobile phone electromagnetic fields by the use of the Tradescantia-micronucleus bioassay. An exposure unit was constructed and a set-up to generate electromagnetic fields of different characteristics like intensities, frequencies, modulations and polarisation. In the exposure unit two cages were installed, one Faraday cage for the control group and one plastic cage for the treated group. The cuttings of Tradescantia sp. clone #4430 were exposed in the cages for 30 h and the mutation rates of the groups expressed by numbers of micronuclei in pollen mother cells were compared. To be sure that the plants were sensitive enough under the conditions of the exposure unit, a positive control with maleic acid was exposed in both cages. For the short-wave fields the exposure experiments are finished and preliminary results are available. For almost all exposure conditions no statistical significant effects have been observed. However, for the vertical polarisation of the electrical field and field strength of about 100 V/m an increase in MCN frequency was observed. This was not the case at the same intensity but for the horizontal polarisation of the field. Further investigations as temperature and field measurement in the plants are planed to explain these results. The GSM exposure experiments are ongoing. Also in this case different modulations, polarisations and field strength will be applied to the Tradescantia MCN-test. Key words: electro magnetic fields, genotoxicity, plant bioassay, methods |
