Magnetic Field Effect on Biological Systems

Tom S. Tenforde A programma tic effort to assess the effects of magneticfield exposure on living organisms and man is under way at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. This program, which is supported by the Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research of the U. S. Department of Energy, has three principal aspects. First, in a project for which I serve as the coordinator, a series of biophysical experiments are being carried out to determine magnetic field effects on molecular, cellular and whole-animal test systems. A second effort, headed by Dr. Thomas Budinger, involves epidemiological studies designed to evaluate potential health effects in groups of scientists and industrial workers who have been occupationally exposed to high magnetic fields. The third project is the establishment of magnetic field exposure guidelines by a six-member committee composed of scientists from through­ out the U. S. and headed by Dr. Edward Alpen, Director of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Biology and Medicine Division. During the initial phase of this program, it became increasingly clear to all of the scientists involved that it would be a worthwhile effort to hold a Biomagnetic Effects Workshop. There were, in fact, three reasons underlying our decision to sponsor such a conference: First of alL more than a decade has passed since there was a large conference in the United States devoted exclusively to biomagnetic research.