Sex-linked recessive lethal test of Drosophila melanogaster after exposure to 50-Hz magnetic fields.
To determine whether a 50-Hz magnetic field will induce mutations, a sex-linked recessive lethal test of Drosophila melanogaster was performed. Adult flies were exposed at an rms flux density of 500 mu T or 5 mT to the homogeneous field of a Helmholtz coil. The ambient field to which controls were exposed was less than 1 mu T. Exposures took place continuously for 13 to 14 days, which correspond to the life cycle of Drosophila at 25 degrees C. About 10,000 X-chromosomes were tested at each flux density. Recessive lethal mutation rates of 0.13, 0.21, and 0.18 percent were observed, respectively, for control, 500-mu T, and 5-mT conditions. By the Kastenbaum-Bowman significance test, the recessive lethal mutation rates in the 500-mu T and 5-mT conditions did not differ from the mutation rate of controls.
Otaka
Y
Y
Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Toxicological and Environmental Sciences, Kashima Laboratory, Ibaraki, Japan.
Kitamura
S
S
Furuta
M
M
Shinohara
A
A
D000818:Animals; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests