Added Health Concern from Magnetic Particulate Matter

The danger of inhaling some particulate matter PM is well recognized. However, these PMs could be magnetic or non-magnetic. Magnetic PM residing in our bodies can interact with electromagnetic waves emitted by devices such as cell phones causing added danger to our health. Our measurements identified the magnetic particles of magnetite coming from ordinary sources such as diesel engines, sand and dirt. We will describe the various measurements that characterize the magnetic behavior of these particles and their possible risk to our health.

Introduction

It is known that PMs have diameters of less than 5 micrometers or smaller do not exit by exhaling when inhaled [1]. Instead, they penetrate to the alveoli which are the tiny branches of air tubes in the lungs where the blood exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide during the process of breathing. Lu et al. [2] found that nano-particles from pollution could even reside in the human serum.

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) is magnetic. If magnetite PM resides in the lung or the serum, a resonance could happen during the emitting of microwaves that may cause damage. Magnetite is known to be the best microwave absorber in the 0.5–10 GHz frequencies used by cell phones through the process of electromagnetic resonance [3]. The energy absorbed by magnetite from the electromagnetic waves could be dissipated in the cellular structures near the magnetite particle causing possible tissue damage. There is evidence that magnetite in an organ can be damaged by electromagnetic waves, which is an oscillatory electric and magnetic field. Leleu et al. [4] and Hilger et al. [5] found that if magnetite is injected into the liver, considerable heat is induced when an oscillating magnetic field is applied. This magnetically induced heating could cause severe tissue damage.

Identifying Magnetite

From a Diesel Engine Exhaust

In our previous work [6], we collected a sample from a diesel engine sitting in a lab, at the West Virginia University engineering department, on a fluorocarboncoated glass fiber filter that is widely used for engine emissions testing. The material along with the filter was put in a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometer and cooled in a zero-magnetic field from room temperature to 5 K. Then, a magnetic field of 200 G was applied and the magnetization was measured while the temperature was raised from 5 to about 330 K. This magnetization curve, the zero-field-cooled curve (ZFC), is shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the ZFC curve has a distinctive peak around 120 K unambiguously proving the existence of magnetite. It is known that one of the important signatures of magnetite is the presence of the Verwey transition peak near 120 K [7], [8].

Fig. 1. Magnetization M (in relative units) versus temperature T (in Kelvin) after zero-field-cooling, of the exhausted material from a diesel engine [6].

From Desert Sand

We collected sand from the desert near the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates using a non-magnetic plastic spoon and glass container. We then placed a sample of that sand in a non-magnetic straw that fits in the SQUID magnetometer. The sample was cooled in a zero-magnetic field from room temperature to 5 K. Then, a magnetic field H of 200 G was applied and the magnetization M was measured while the temperature T was raised from 5 to about 330 K. This ZFC measurement is similar to the measurement done on the diesel engine sample described above. As shown in Fig. 2, the ZFC curve has a distinctive peak around 120 K proving the existence of magnetite.

Fig. 2. The magnetization M versus temperature T at 200 G magnetic field of sand after zero-field cooling.

From Dirt/Soil

We collected samples from the soil of Morgantown/West Virginia in the US at the surface and one foot below the surface. We used non-magnetic tools to collect samples. These samples were placed (independently) in a non-magnetic straw that fits in the SQUID magnetometer. Here we did not do M versus T measurements as we did above, instead, we performed M versus the magnetic field H at a fixed temperature T = 300 K which is the room temperature, see Figs. 3 and 4. These figures show that the soil has magnetic materials at the surface and is one foot deep. We sent these samples to the commercial company Galbraith Laboratories, Inc., for sample composition. The results were that both samples contained iron (Fe). It is known that iron exists usually in the form of oxides and the most common form of iron oxide is magnetite.

Fig. 3. Magnetization versus magnetic field for a sample taken from the surface of the soil in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.

Fig. 4. Magnetization versus magnetic field for a sample of soil taken from one foot deep in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.

Suggestions to Health Professionals

Since we found magnetite in sand, soil and emitted by diesel engines, it becomes important that we detect magnetite (emitted by all sources) in the areas we live in. The other sources of magnetite are coal ash and factories that deal with iron/steel making [9], [10]. One way to do this is for health officials to collect PM using portable pumps that can suck air from our surroundings and filter the PM. Then examine the collected PM for magnetite and other magnetic materials.

One of the portable pumps a person can carry is the affordable-quite AirChek® XR5000 air sample pump [11] pictured in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5. The portable AirChek® XR5000 air sample pump.

This pump sucks air and uses a filter that let the air through but keeps the particular matter PM on it. It can be turned on during the whole day for collecting PM in any area that we live in (streets, schools, inside our homes, etc.). Then we can use either the SQUID magnetometer or a commercial chemical analysis to detect magnetite and other magnetic materials.

Conclusion

We proved that magnetite exists in many places/sources (exhaust from diesel engines, in sand and dirt). Moreover, it is known to be emitted by industrial metal-making and coal. Because magnetite interacts with microwave signals which may cause damage to our tissues, it becomes important that we quantify magnetite in the air we breathe. Many technological devices that we carry or available in our homes (cell phones, Wi-Fi devices, microwave ovens. etc.) emit microwaves.

We may also try to look for other magnetic PMs not just magnetite. For example, iron, nickel and many other compounds are magnetic. These other magnetic materials could resonate with electromagnetic waves (x-ray, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, Gamma rays, microwaves and radio waves). Every electromagnetic wave has an oscillatory electric and magnetic field with a frequency of oscillation that is specific to each one of them–oscillations can cause resonance in the magnetic PM residing in our bodies causing possible cell damage.