Can your work lower levels of the hormone progesterone?  

Feb 2016

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) at your work environment could be harmful to your health 

Female workers exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are at increased risk of menstrual disorders and other health problems like fatigue, Chinese researchers have found. 

Electric fields   are created by differences in voltage: the higher the voltage, the stronger will be the resultant field.  Magnetic fields   are created when electric current flows: the greater the current, the stronger the magnetic field.  Electromagnetic fields, in low levels, are all around us in nature, occur naturally and are possible the method that birds and fish use to navigate. 

In a study of 180 female shoe factory workers exposed to medium to high levels of EMF radiation from welding machines, the researchers identified a higher prevalence of neurovegetative symptoms – such as headaches, fatigue, insomnia and a loss in concentration – than among a control group of nearby supermarket workers. 

They also found a third of the shoe factory workers, who were aged up to 40 and had been in the job for at least one year, experienced menstrual disorders indicated by one or more abnormalities in their menstrual cycle. 

In comparison, only about 12 per cent of the 349 female supermarket workers, who weren't exposed to EMFs, showed similar symptoms. 

According to the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), high EMF originates from electrical systems that use large amounts of electric power such as motors, generators and power supplies, and, to a lesser degree, from power saws, drills, copy machines and other small electric appliances. 

It says EMF exposure is highest for workers that spend a large portion of their day near such machines, and welders are "considered one of the most exposed occupational groups". 

NIOSH also says exposure varies with "the strength of the magnetic field, the worker's distance from the EMF source, and the time the worker spends in the field", and the level of radiation depends "on equipment design and current flow, not on equipment size, complexity or voltage". 

In 2011, the World Health Organisation classified EMFs emitted by mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic but the jury is still out and no definite conclusion has yet been arrived at.  

The  Chinese researchers found women exposed to EMFs showed lower levels of the hormone progesterone, which is involved in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, suggesting EMF radiation had a direct impact on the ovaries. 

They said women were more susceptible to EMF than men, meaning exposure to EMF was of particular public concern because of the association with "adverse reproductive outcomes". 

They noted that in previous studies, EMFs were linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes, in particular miscarriages, but this wasn't supported by their study. 

Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Reproductive-Age Female Operators of Plastic Welding Machines in Fuzhou, China.  Youqiong Xu, et al, China, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Volume 58, Issue 2, February 2016.