Dr Vladimir Binhi, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Project summary

There is now clear evidence of an increased risk of childhood leukaemia associated with exposure to the sorts of magnetic fields associated with electricity supply.

But, although there are a number of theories, there is no well-established mechanism by which such fields interact with the body to increase leukaemia risk. This lack of mechanism has led to claims that the association may be spurious.

It has been shown that the human brain contains tiny magnetic particles. These respond to magnetic fields, and may therefore play a role in mediating the interaction of magnetic fields with the human body.

By carrying out an analysis of the literature and conducting an original theoretical study, Dr Binhi set out to clarify the role of these particles in relation to their ability to change the rates of certain biochemical reactions which regulate the immune system.

Dr Binhi developed a mathematical model of cancer development to estimate the possible effect of magnetic nanoparticles on leukaemia development in early childhood.

Two papers have been prepared and submitted for publication.

Implications

The development of a fundamental working model for biological changes induced by low intensity magnetic fields provides a template upon which to design focused laboratory research efforts as well as to identify which exposure features should be measured in epidemiological studies to better define those people who are exposed to the conditions that may cause the development of cancer.

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