Effects of long-term exposure to strong electromagnetic radiation environment on the peripheral complete blood cells of operators / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effects of long-term exposure to strong electromagnetic environment on the peripheral complete blood cells of the operators. Methods A total of 239 male workers engaged in strong electromagnetic radiation operation for at least 1 year were consecutively raised between April and October 2019 as the exposed group, and 203 male workers no-exposed to strong electromagnetic equipment were raised as non-exposed group. Multipoint measurements were done of electromagnetic frequency and power density in electromagnetic radiation operation area, the differences of blood routine indexes between the exposed group and non-exposed group were compared, and the variation trend of difference index with increased exposure years was analyzed. Results No significant difference existed between the two groups in age, gender, work experience and body mass index (BMI). The electromagnetic frequency band in the operation area was between 5.5-2000 MHz, the maximum power density could reach up to 14 W/m2in the shielding point, and reach up to 535.17 W/m2in the open area. Compared with the non-exposed group, the levels of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly elevated (P<0.05), while the red blood cell count (RBC) and haematocrit (HCT) was markedly reduced (P<0.05) in the exposed group. With the prolongation of the exposure time, the levels of RBC and HCT were relatively stable, but MCH, MCHC and MPV showed fluctuation from higher to lower level. Conclusions Long-term exposure to strong electromagnetic environment may lead to lower levels of red blood cells in related workers. Compensation may be achieved through hemoglobin elevation at early stage, which nevertheless weakens through hemoglobin reduction during the exposure time prolonged.