Thirty-eight blood, tissue and consumptive measures from rats exposed perinatally and as adults to 0.5 Hz magnetic fields

Abstract

In a factorial design, 40 male rats 195 ± 15 days of age that had been exposed: (1) perinatally for 5 days to either 10⁻⁶T to 10⁻³T variation, 0.5 Hz rotating magnetic fields (RMFs) or to sham field conditions, and (2) to one of two typical postweaning caging conditions were exposed for 5 days to either 10⁻⁶T, 10⁻⁷T, 10⁻⁸T, 0.5 Hz RMFs or sham fields (<10⁻⁹T variation in an experimental room) or to colony room control conditions. Consumptive behaviors, selected tissue weights, differential white blood cell counts and 20 constituents from blood sera (analyzed by sequential multiple analyses computer) were measured. Except for marginally significant differences in Na, Cl, and Ca, there were no significant differences between adult RMF intensities for any of the measures; a significant caging by adult intensity interaction was noted for GOT. Rats that had been exposed to the experimental room (continuous noise and light) displayed significant decreases in serum albumin, globulin, glucose and phosphorus levels as well as food and water consumption. Rats that had been exposed perinatally to the RMFs displayed significant 20% reductions in UREA, GOT, and LDH activity, 4% increases in testicle weights and 17% decreases in thymus weights relative to perinatal sham field controls. The absence of significant perinatal condition by adult condition interactions did not support the hypothesis that perinatal RMF exposure might enhance responsiveness to more natural, less intense field variations. Caging differences were associated with highly significant alterations in body weight, several tissue weights, Na, Ca, protein, cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, CO₂ and LDH.