ABSTRACT
To determine the effects of very weak, extremely low frequency [50 Hz] electromagnetic field [ELF-EMF] on the relative spleen weight, lymphoid organ histology, peripheral blood leukocyte and alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase positive [ANAE- positive] lymphocyte percentages of the mouse. The study was carried out in Scientific Research and Application Center of Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey in 2005. A total of 120 Swiss albino mice were divided into 6 groups [20 in each group]. The experimental animals were exposed to 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 uT flux intensities [rms] of EMF at 50 Hz for 40 days. In the exposure groups with 20 animals, the body weight [BW] increased gradually in higher field intensities and reached at peak level in the 4 uT, and then slightly decreased. The relative spleen weight [% of the BW] was not affected. The ELF-EMF treatment did not cause any significant change in lymphocyte, monocyte and ANAE-positive lymphocyte ratios, whereas percentages of neutrophils and basophiles changed non-linearly. Any change in the lymphoid organ histology, which is attributable to the field effect, was not observed in the exposure groups. Extremely low frequency-EMF exposure with the flux intensities between 1-5 uT for 40 days did not cause any effect on the relative spleen weight, lymphoid organ histology, leukocyte and ANAE-positive lymphocyte percentages of the mouse