Journal of Occupational and Environmetal Medicine. Vol. 58, Iss. 2, February 2016
Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Reproductive-Age Female Operators of Plastic Welding Machines in Fuzhou, China
Riassunto
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) among female operators of plastic welding machines.
Methods: We examined 180 female operators in shoe factories as the exposed group, and 349 female workers from nearby supermarkets as the unexposed group.
Results: The mean radiation levels in the vicinity of the welding machines ranged from 51.3 to 368.9 V/m. The prevalence of neurovegetative symptoms increased with higher EMFs exposures (P < 0.05). The prevalence of menstrual disorder was 12.0% in the unexposed group, but was 26.8% and 33.8% in low and high-exposure groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Exposure–response relationships were found between cumulate exposure and neurovegetative symptoms and menstrual disorder (P < 0.05). Serum progesterone (P4) was significantly lower in the exposed groups (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: EMFs exposure was associated with adverse health effects, including neurovegetative symptoms, menstrual disorder, and low level of P4.