# Do strong magnetic fields have any health effects? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035 "2014-05-09T06:30:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035/21 "2014-06-19T13:45:15Z")
> [@sara20](#): > > f MRI’s cause DNA damage would that explain some of the health problems I received from having multiple MRI’s within a short period? Nothing will explain the health problems you received from having multiple MRI’s within a short period because that’s not what caused your health problems. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035/22 "2014-06-19T14:26:16Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > The other is a very strong but static field that has no known physical mechanism to couple to any chemical process, in anything - living or dead. If you could come up with a causative mechanism for a static magnetic field to couple to your body’s processes you would be in line for a free trip to Stockholm. Your statement is misleading. Sure scientists don’t know WHY, but they do know that static magnetic field modulate neuron activity. Your statement sounds like there is no causative effect when in fact that point isn’t really debated much anymore, now they are trying to figure out why. One experiment points to nitric oxide as a key player in the mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035/23 "2014-06-19T14:35:07Z")
Exacerbation of hypochondria is often associated with strong magnetic fields. That’s only half a joke. Even if there were a slight risk of something happening down the line, there’s no risk of the kinds of short term symptoms you describe. Even your own cite implicitly accepts that. Also as noted, the outright ban on the use of DDT was an overreaction. We didn’t need to be using it quite as much as we did, but more limited use would have been safe. Basically, it’s either in your head or, if there are physical issues, it’s this: > [@yoyodyne](#): > > Nothing will explain the health problems you received from having multiple MRI’s within a short period because that’s not what caused your health problems. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035/24 "2014-06-19T20:45:29Z")
In 1990 I was scheduled for arthroscopic knee surgery, and my doctor had me get an MRI. This was very new technology back then, so there were several health-care workers as onlookers. They saw me limping in pain, as had been the case for several months. After the MRI I stood up and walked out, in no pain whatsoever. Gradually, the pain recurred over the few days before surgery. I told the doctor about this, and of course he said it was psychosomatic. With some questioning on my part, he finally admitted that I wasn’t his only patient who experienced that effect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-strong-magnetic-fields-have-any-health-effects/688035.md?page=1)