Investigating the impact of electromagnetic fields on human cells: A thermodynamic perspective

The consequences of the interactions of electromagnetic waves, as used in conventional MRI technology, with human cells are not fully understood. To analyze these interactions, a novel thermodynamic approach is presented that is based on the relationship between electromagnetic and thermodynamic quantities. The theoretical results indicate that the waves' impact is largest at high magnetic field strengths and at low frequencies. This is the first step towards a clinically useful framework to quantitatively assess MRI impact including a potential trade-off between the desired increase in spatial resolution that higher magnetic field strengths yield for diagnostic purposes and the danger this may pose for cell membranes, and by extension, for the tissues investigated. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.