ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of long-term exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields on the occurrence of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes and the lymphocyte transformation in transformer substation workers. METHODS: By simple random sampling method,54 workers exposed to power frequency electromagnetic fields for more than 1. 0 year and other 54 non-exposure workers in 500 kV transformer substations were chosen as the exposure group and control group,respectively. The peripheral venous blood of subjects in these two groups was collected,and then the lymphocytes were separated. The micronucleus cell rate,the micronucleus rate and the lymphocyte transformation rate were detected and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group,the micronucleated cell rate,the micronucleus rate,and the lymphocyte transformation rate of the exposure group and its different length of service subgroups( ≤ 10. 0and > 10. 0 years) showed no statistical significance respectively( P > 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The long-term exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields has no obvious effects on the micronucleus and lymphocyte transformation in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of exposed workers.