Enel's research activity on possible biological effects of 50 Hz electromagnetic fields - results and plans of a large research programme

ENEL's (Italian Electricity Board) research programme on the possible biological effects of 50 Hz electric fields began in 1974. The work, done in co-operation with the Italian Universities of Brescia, Milan, and Pisa, has focused on laboratory and field investigations on animals and agricultural crops. Special attention has been paid to modelling scaling, and dosimetry. The increasing interest worldwide in the possible biological effects of ELF magnetic fields, recently led ENEL to start, in co-operation with the University of Milan, long-term, laboratory investigations on rats continously exposed to 50 Hz magnetic fields. As regards studies on animals exposed to the electric field, results indicated the absence of any remarkable effect through exposure to electric fields of up to 100 kV/m for very long periods. As regards field investigations on vegetables, no morphological, physiological, or genetic effect was found in wheat continuously exposed for three generations to electric fields of up to 12 kV/m.