Effect of a 1.5 T static magnetic field on body temperature of man

Reports in the literature concerning the effect of static magnetic fields on the body temperature of mammals have been contradictory and confusing. A significant increase in body temperature in human subjects exposed to the static magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would have important safety implications. Therefore, in two separate studies we determined body temperature in 20 subjects exposed to a 1.5 T static magnetic field. One group of subjects (Group I, N = 9) had sublingual pocket temperature measured immediately before and after a 60 min exposure, while another group of subjects (Group II, N = 11) had esophageal temperature determined at 2 min intervals during a 20 min exposure. No statistically significant changes in body temperature were observed in either Group I or II subjects during exposure to the 1.5 T static magnetic field. We conclude that a relatively intense static magnetic field has no effect on body temperature of normal human subjects.