High magnetic field exposure increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease

Brain scans of Alzheimer's patients (left) and non-infected people (right) - Photo: HTV Long exposure to high electromagnetic fields may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. That is the result of a study by the University of Berne (Switzerland) on the death rate of railway employees in Switzerland.

To determine if low-frequency electromagnetic fields are harmful to health, the researchers analyzed the causes of 5,413 deaths in 20,000 Swiss railway employees from 1972 to 2002 and noted to the extent of contact with the magnetic field within their career framework.

As a result, the risk of Alzheimer's disease is highest among locomotives who are most exposed to electromagnetic fields. Of the 1,644 deaths analyzed from 1995, 14 cases of Alzheimer's disease were diagnosed in this group, which is three times higher than other railway workers.

In contrast, there was no documented association between magnetic contact and other causes of death such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, or leukemia.

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