#0054 Investigating the effects of exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on job burnout syndrome and the severity of depression; the role of oxidative stress
Electromagnetic fields cause job burnout in thermal power plant workers
Humans all around are exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) due to the usage of electrical appliances domestically as well as industrially. Several studies report that these fields affect brain function and hormonal balance, depending on the duration of exposure. This leads to job-burnout syndrome in which people experience anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders. So far, no study has been conducted to evaluate the neurobehavioral changes in thermal power plant workers due to exposure to high levels of EMFs from power transmission lines.
To address this, we designed a study to understand the effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) on worker job burnout syndrome and to look into the role of oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance of toxic reactive oxygen species in cells, in influencing the mechanism of these effects. We recruited 115 power plant workers as the exposed group and 124 hospital administrators as the unexposed comparison group and collected blood samples to measure oxidative stress markers. Additionally, we used questionnaires to measure the severity of depression and job-burnout syndrome. The electromagnetic field intensity was measured at workstations of workers.
We found that the severity of depression and job-burnout were higher among employees working at the power plant, which had higher exposure to magnetic fields. We also observed high levels of oxidative stress markers in these workers.
Therefore, this study shows that power plant workers are widely exposed to ELF-EMFs and are at a risk of depression and job-burnout, which could be directly caused by exposure to magnetic fields or indirectly due to increased oxidative stress indices. Our findings could help inform policy decisions relating to occupational hazards and employee health.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1348-9585.12136
Title of the paper:
Investigating the effects of exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields on job burnout syndrome and the severity of depression; the role of oxidative stress
Authors:
Majid Bagheri Hosseinabadi, Narges Khanjani, Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi, Seyed Habib Mousavi, Fereshteh Nazarkhani
