Workers all around the world are protected from any harm they may experience from exposure to electromagnetic fields on the job but many newborn babies face the influence of electromagnetic fields when they require an incubator.  Some researchers in the United Kingdom (UK) would like to see these smallest babies protected a little bit better.

According to a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood’s Fetal and Neonatal Edition, the babies’ heart rates are affected by the electromagnetic fields emitted as the incubator motor switches from on to off and back again.  Long-term effects on the babies’ hearts is not known but, in adults with limited variability in heart rate, the future can be rather poor.

To test their theory, the researchers monitored the heart rates of 43 newborn babies who were neither born prematurely nor critically ill.  The heart rate variability for these babies was the control.

The research team then monitored the heart rates of 27 of the babies for three five-minute cycles during which incubator motors were on, then off, and then on again.

To eliminate the noise of the motor as a factor, 16 of the babies listened to a recorded version of the incubator motor running for five minutes, off for five minutes, and running again for five minutes, even though the actual motor was turned off throughout the entire monitoring cycle.

There was no significant variability in heart rate for the babies listening to the taped motor sound but heart rates changed significantly for the babies that were exposed to the motor in actual operation.

High and low frequencies make up heart rate variability, with the ratio of frequencies being naturally higher in babies born prematurely than in adults.  Since some babies rely on an incubator for weeks and others for months, the research team suggest incubator modifications that reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields during this very critical time could likely benefit the babies.

Source: British Medical Journal