Exposure of baboons to combined 60 Hz electric and magnetic fields does not produce work stoppage or affect operant...

We examined the effects of combined 60 Hz electric and magnetic field (EMF) exposure on performance of delayed match-to-sample (MTS) procedure involving the flash rate of a light as the stimulus. Six baboons (Papio cynocephalus) fully acquired the task; four others functioned accurately only when cued. All ten subjects were assigned to EMF-exposed or sham-exposed groups of five and were used to test for a work-stoppage effect that was previously observed with initial exposure to electric fields (EF) of 30 or 60 kV/m. Here, we report the results of two experiments, each consisting of 6 week preexposure, exposure, and postexposure periods. We found no evidence of work stoppage with fields of 6 kV/m and 50 microT (0.5 G) or with 30 kV/m and 100 microT (1.0 G). In neither experiment was there evidence of an adverse effect of 60 Hz EMF exposure on MTS performance.