Mutagenic effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields (MFs) were investigated using bacteria, yeast and fruit fly. Exposure to MFs up to 40 mTesla (1T=10,000 Gauss) did not cause point mutation in bacteria, yeast or fruit fly. A 30 mT MF did not cause gene conversion in yeast. On the other hand, an increase in the recombination frequency was observed in fruit fly by exposure to a 20mT MF. These results suggest that exposure to ELF-MF which is a thousand times stronger than the one we are actually exposed to in the environment, have weak but detectable mutagenicity. Possible mechanisms of the mutagenic effects of ELF-MFs and evaluation of safety of exposure to ELF-MFs are discussed.

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