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New study suggests that the electromagnetic fields produced
by the motors of an incubator may affect newborns’ heart rates. This effect is
the more dangerous, as premature babies spend weeks or even months in
incubators.
Incubators are usually used to help babies who are born
prematurely in the period after birth. They generally isolate the baby from
various stressors and maintain an appropriate temperature. This is the first
research on the effect their electromagnetic fields can have on newborns.
“Neonatal incubators are designed to shield fragile babies from external
foes and to preserve their temperature, and they are good for this. Yet we
showed that most of them produce relevant electromagnetic fields, and this
study is the first to show that this exposure has an influence on babies'
autonomous nervous system,” said lead researcher Dr. Carlo Bellieni, of the
University of Siena's Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics, and Reproductive
Medicine, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Dr. Bellieni and his colleagues looked at the changes of
heart rates among 43 newborns none of whom were premature or critically ill. The
experiment found that 27 of the infants underwent heart rate variability
testing for 5-minute intervals while an incubator motor was on, off and on
again. These babies experienced decreases in heart rate variability when the
incubator was turned on.
The remaining 16 newborns were not exposed to an incubator
motor, but were exposed to audio stimuli mimicking the sounds of a motor to see
if noise might be a risk. These babies had no differences in heart rate
variability.
“International recommendations and laws set levels to safeguard the health
of workers exposed to [electromagnetic fields]: newborns should be worthy of
similar protection, and follow-up programs of formerly premature babies should
include the study of sympathetic activity development,” the researchers
concluded.
Heart rate variability points to the normal alterations in
heart rate that occur under resting conditions in healthy individuals. Decreased
heart rate variability is a strong predictor of some cardiac abnormality in
adults.
What the findings exactly mean
for the babies’ health is not clear yet, so the researchers want to study
further to see if there are any lasting effects.
“More research is needed to assess possible long-term consequences, since
premature newborns may be exposed to these high [electromagnetic fields] for
months,” they added.
The findings appear in the May 1 edition of the Fetal and
Neonatal Edition of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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