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Biomedical subjects

Maila Hietanen

Publications and source records attributed to Maila Hietanen.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Occupational exposure to low frequency magnetic fields and dementia: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies point to a potential aetiological relevance to dementia of exposure to low-frequency magnetic fields, but the evidence is inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: To further examine the relationship between low frequency magnetic fields and dementia. METHODS: From 23 general practices, 195 patients with dementia were recruited. Of these, 108 had possible Alzheimer's disease, 59 had possible vascular dementia and 28 had secondary or unclassified dementia. A total of 229 controls were recruited: 122 population controls and 107 ambulatory patients free from dementia. Data were gathered in a structured personal interview; in cases, the interview was administered to the next of kin. Exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic fields was assessed by expert rating. To identify occupations suspected to be associated with dementia, major occupations were a priori formed. Odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression, to control for age, region, sex, dementia in parents and smoking. RESULTS: Exposure to magnetic fields was not significantly associated with dementia; restriction of the analysis to cases with possible Alzheimer's disease or possible vascular dementia did not lead to statistically significant results. We found an increased risk of dementia in blue-collar occupations (electrical and electronics workers, metal workers, construction workers, food and beverage processors and labourers). CONCLUSIONS: Our study does not support a strong association between occupational exposure to low-frequency magnetic fields and dementia. Further studies should consider the relationship between blue-collar work and the late development of dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

EU Directive, ICNIRP guidelines and Polish legislation on electromagnetic fields.

This review describes the general provisions of and the philosophy behind European Directive 2004/40/EC and ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) guidelines. As an example of national legislation on the protection of workers against excessive electromagnetic field exposure, regulations established in Poland are summarized. The problems of a practical implementation of the Directive's provisions are discussed.

Electromagnetic Fields↗
PubMed2004

Cellular phone use does not acutely affect blood pressure or heart rate of humans.

A recent study raised concern about increase of resting blood pressure after a 35 min exposure to the radiofrequency (RF) field emitted by a 900 MHz cellular phone. In this randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial, 32 healthy subjects were submitted to 900 MHz (2 W), 1800 MHz (1 W) cellular phone exposure, and to sham exposure in separate sessions. Arterial blood pressure (arm cuff method) and heart rate were measured during and after the 35 min RF and sham exposure sessions. We evaluated cardiovascular responses in terms of blood pressure and heart rate during controlled breathing, spontaneous breathing, head-up tilt table test, Valsalva manoeuvre and deep breathing test. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate did not change significantly during or after the 35 min RF exposures at 900 MHz or 1800 MHz, compared to sham exposure. The results of this study indicate that exposure to a cellular phone, using 900 MHz or 1800 MHz with maximal allowed antenna powers, does not acutely change arterial blood pressure and heart rate.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Hypersensitivity symptoms associated with exposure to cellular telephones: no causal link.

The hypothesis that there exist hypersensitive persons who perceive subjective symptoms from radiofrequency (RF) fields emitted by hand held mobile phones (cellular phones) was tested using double blind provocation experiments. We also tested whether sensitive subjects are able to determine whether the phone is on or off by sensing RF fields. The study group consisted of 20 volunteers (13 women and 7 men) who reported themselves as being sensitive to cellular phones. The RF exposure sources were one analogue NMT phone (900 MHz) and two digital GSM phones (900 and 1800 MHz). The duration of a test session was 30 min, and three or four sessions were performed in random order for each subject during 1 day. The subjects were asked to report symptoms or sensations as soon as they perceived any abnormal feelings. In addition, the subjects' blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing frequency were monitored every 5 min. The results of the study indicated that various symptoms were reported, and most of them appeared in the head region. However, the number of reported symptoms was higher during sham exposure than during real exposure conditions. In addition, none of the test persons could distinguish real RF exposure from sham exposure. Hence, we conclude that adverse subjective symptoms or sensations, though unquestionably perceived by the test subjects, were not produced by cellular phones.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Brain tumors and salivary gland cancers among cellular telephone users.

BACKGROUND: Possible risk of cancer associated with use of cellular telephones has lately been a subject of public debate. METHODS: We conducted a register-based, case-control study on cellular phone use and cancer. The study subjects were all cases of brain tumor (N = 398) and salivary gland cancer (N = 34) diagnosed in Finland in 1996, with five controls per case. RESULTS: Cellular phone use was not associated with brain tumors or salivary gland cancers overall, but there was a weak association between gliomas and analog cellular phones. CONCLUSIONS: A register-based approach has limited value in risk assessment of cellular phone use owing to lack of information on exposure.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Health risks of exposure to non-ionizing radiation--myths or science-based evidence.

INTRODUCTION: The non-ionizing radiation (NIR) contains large range of wavelengths and frequencies from vacuum ultraviolet (UV) radiation to static electric and magnetic fields. Biological effects of electromagnetic (EM) radiation depend greatly on wavelength and other physical parameters. OPTICAL RADIATION: The Sun is the most significant source of environmental UV exposure, so that outdoor workers are at risk of chronic over-exposure. Also exposure to short-wave visible light is associated with the aging and degeneration of the retina. Especially hazardous are laser beams focused to a small spot at the retina, resulting in permanent visual impairment. ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS: Exposure to EM fields induces body currents and energy absorption in tissues, depending on frequencies and coupling mechanisms. Thermal effects caused by temperature rise are basically understood, whereas the challenge is to understand the suspected non-thermal effects. Radiofrequency (RF) fields around frequencies of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz are of special interest because of the rapid advances in the telecommunication technology. The field levels of these sources are so low that temperature rise is unlikely to explain possible health effects. Other mechanisms of interaction have been proposed, but biological experiments have failed to confirm their existence.

Electromagnetic Fields↗