Biological effects on the cellular level of electric field pulses

Analysis of electric and magnetic fields in the human body generated upon exposure to external pulsed electric fields are used to consider possible biological effects at the cellular level. For peak external field strengths as high as 100 kV m-1, the effects of the consequent internal electric fields on sensitive cell elements, such as the membranes, organelles, and the macromolecules that carry genetic information, are shown to be small compared with the normal thermal agitation of the elements. Hence, based on the description of the cell and the analysis presented here, such pulses cannot be expected to produce any biological effects at the cellular level.