This in vitro study exposed human umbilical cord blood lymphocytes to a sinusoidal sweeping-frequency ELF magnetic field (3–26 Hz) for 48 hours at amplitudes from 6 to 24 μT. It reports no statistically significant effects on DNA damage/repair foci or apoptosis measures overall. A non-significant trend at 8 μT showed lower γH2AX foci (p = .064) and data suggesting fewer viable cells at the same intensity, which the authors discuss as potentially protective against DNA double-strand breaks.

This PRISMA-based systematic review evaluated 54 animal studies on the carcinogenicity of extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields. The authors report very little evidence that ELF magnetic fields alone are carcinogenic. Findings on co-carcinogenicity (ELF MFs combined with other agents) are inconclusive, and the review notes a clear indication of publication bias.