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Bioelectromagnetics
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Bioelectromagnetics
Bioelectromagnetics, also known as bioelectromagnetism, is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological entities. Areas of study include electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms, the effects of man-made sources of electromagnetic fields like mobile phones, and the application of electromagnetic radiation toward therapies for the treatment of various conditions.
From WW2 until around the 1980's the study of non-ionizing radiation in biological systems was considered a subset of radiobiology, or simply referred to as "effects" or "bioeffects" of a particular frequency band. The term "bioelectromagnetics" was coined by Thomas C. Rozzell of the Office of Naval Research.
As the program manager for BEM at ONR [Office of Naval Research] for 12 years prior to coming to ONRL [Office of Naval Research London], I naturally concentrated my attention in this area.
BEM [BioElectroMagnetics] is a relatively new research area and one which I am proud to have helped shape in my position at ONR. In fact, I coined the name for this research area in 1978. ONR, and indeed the Navy and the DoD, can be proud of their contributions to BEM research in the US and throughout the world.
A multdisciplinary area, BEM encompasses biology from micro to macro, physiology, psychology, immunology, biophysics, physics, engineering, etc. Though the area is new in terms of organization, BEM may actually be traced back almost 100 years. The patron scientific saint of the field is now accepted to be Arsene d'Arsonval of France, whose research on electrophysiological activity of muscles and nerves in the last quarter of the 19th century led him to explore the effects of low and high-frequency currents, which led, in turn, to his development of radiofrequency generators and applicators for use in the clinic. This modality is known now as "diathermy" but earlier was known as "d'Arsonvalisation." The physician d'Arsonval was the first to use field-induced hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer (Justesen and Guy, 1985).
Much of the research in BEM over the past two decades has been driven by an intense desire to determine the nature and degree of biological hazard posed by exposure to electromagnetic (EM) fields. By far the largest majority of the research has been concentrated in the frequency range of about 300 MHz to 100 GHz, the so-called microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (see Figure 1). In the US, the DoD is probably the largest single user of EM energy in the form of radar or radio waves. It is this use that has caused the DoD to spend large sums on research designed to answer questions regarding the hazards to personnel due to working in the environments of EM fields. Microwaves, generated in great abundance by radar equipment, have been the "mother ship" of the BEM research community, with at least 80 percent of the research centered around one frequency--2450 MHz. That this came about was due primarily to the availability of equipment, for one thing, and the early assumption that extrapolations could be made to other frequencies if certain parameters were adjusted.
The primary effect of the interaction of EM fields, and especially microwaves, and biological systems is the production of heat. The energy of the fields is absorbed by the target system resulting in molecular motion. The EM energy in this part of the spectrum does not cause ionization of atoms as x-rays and gamma rays do. For this reason, it was felt for a long time that in the absence of heat there was no hazard from short-term exposure. It is now generally accepted that this is not so, that there are field-specific effects that can occur at levels that do not produce heat. In the past 5 to 7 years, the most exciting research has been conducted in this area. It is here that the quest continues for the elusive interactive mechanisms that are responsible for effects at the level of the cell membrane and intra-cellular components. Early studies generally concentrated on the organism and looked for phenomena such as changes in behavior, or in growth and development. Now the search has turned to the cell and to macromolecules. Such scientific probing calls for a substantial increase in the precision of measurement of biological responses.
The quest for adverse biological effects has paid dividends in ways not originally anticipated. As more was learned about the responses of biological systems, it was found that some of the responses were not detrimental but were indeed beneficial. On even closer examination, it was found that almost all living systems have bioelectric components, such as nerve activity or muscle conduction, and that many such as birds and other species, use EM information for navigation. We now can use EM energy in an ever-increasing number of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Witness such techniques as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), bone healing by EM field stimulation, cancer treatment by hyperthermia, and microwave imaging, among others (Rozzell and Lin in press).
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Bioelectromagnetics
Bioelectromagnetics, also known as bioelectromagnetism, is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic fields and biological entities. Areas of study include electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms, the effects of man-made sources of electromagnetic fields like mobile phones, and the application of electromagnetic radiation toward therapies for the treatment of various conditions.
From WW2 until around the 1980's the study of non-ionizing radiation in biological systems was considered a subset of radiobiology, or simply referred to as "effects" or "bioeffects" of a particular frequency band. The term "bioelectromagnetics" was coined by Thomas C. Rozzell of the Office of Naval Research.
As the program manager for BEM at ONR [Office of Naval Research] for 12 years prior to coming to ONRL [Office of Naval Research London], I naturally concentrated my attention in this area.
BEM [BioElectroMagnetics] is a relatively new research area and one which I am proud to have helped shape in my position at ONR. In fact, I coined the name for this research area in 1978. ONR, and indeed the Navy and the DoD, can be proud of their contributions to BEM research in the US and throughout the world.
A multdisciplinary area, BEM encompasses biology from micro to macro, physiology, psychology, immunology, biophysics, physics, engineering, etc. Though the area is new in terms of organization, BEM may actually be traced back almost 100 years. The patron scientific saint of the field is now accepted to be Arsene d'Arsonval of France, whose research on electrophysiological activity of muscles and nerves in the last quarter of the 19th century led him to explore the effects of low and high-frequency currents, which led, in turn, to his development of radiofrequency generators and applicators for use in the clinic. This modality is known now as "diathermy" but earlier was known as "d'Arsonvalisation." The physician d'Arsonval was the first to use field-induced hyperthermia in the treatment of cancer (Justesen and Guy, 1985).
Much of the research in BEM over the past two decades has been driven by an intense desire to determine the nature and degree of biological hazard posed by exposure to electromagnetic (EM) fields. By far the largest majority of the research has been concentrated in the frequency range of about 300 MHz to 100 GHz, the so-called microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (see Figure 1). In the US, the DoD is probably the largest single user of EM energy in the form of radar or radio waves. It is this use that has caused the DoD to spend large sums on research designed to answer questions regarding the hazards to personnel due to working in the environments of EM fields. Microwaves, generated in great abundance by radar equipment, have been the "mother ship" of the BEM research community, with at least 80 percent of the research centered around one frequency--2450 MHz. That this came about was due primarily to the availability of equipment, for one thing, and the early assumption that extrapolations could be made to other frequencies if certain parameters were adjusted.
The primary effect of the interaction of EM fields, and especially microwaves, and biological systems is the production of heat. The energy of the fields is absorbed by the target system resulting in molecular motion. The EM energy in this part of the spectrum does not cause ionization of atoms as x-rays and gamma rays do. For this reason, it was felt for a long time that in the absence of heat there was no hazard from short-term exposure. It is now generally accepted that this is not so, that there are field-specific effects that can occur at levels that do not produce heat. In the past 5 to 7 years, the most exciting research has been conducted in this area. It is here that the quest continues for the elusive interactive mechanisms that are responsible for effects at the level of the cell membrane and intra-cellular components. Early studies generally concentrated on the organism and looked for phenomena such as changes in behavior, or in growth and development. Now the search has turned to the cell and to macromolecules. Such scientific probing calls for a substantial increase in the precision of measurement of biological responses.
The quest for adverse biological effects has paid dividends in ways not originally anticipated. As more was learned about the responses of biological systems, it was found that some of the responses were not detrimental but were indeed beneficial. On even closer examination, it was found that almost all living systems have bioelectric components, such as nerve activity or muscle conduction, and that many such as birds and other species, use EM information for navigation. We now can use EM energy in an ever-increasing number of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Witness such techniques as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), bone healing by EM field stimulation, cancer treatment by hyperthermia, and microwave imaging, among others (Rozzell and Lin in press).