Melatonin suppression by time-varying and time-invariant electromagnetic fields

This chapter reviews the experimental evidence that shows that both time-varying and time-invariant electromagnetic field exposures suppress the production and secretion of the pineal hormone melatonin in experimental animals. In general, the evidence that magnetic fields alter the circadian production ofmelatonin is more substantial than the data illustrating the ability of electric field exposure to suppress melatonin. The chapter also discusses potential mechanisms by which the fields couple to the organism, and it considers the significance of the melatonin changes with regard to the reported increased cancer risk in individuals exposed to an elevated electromagnetic environment.