Can Magnetic Storms Impact Human Health?

Magnetic storms can cause significant damage to the electrical grid and satellites, but they do not have the ability to impact human cells, tissues, or organs.

Do magnetic storms exist?

Certainly. Magnetic storms can be very visually striking events that are difficult to miss.

On September 1-2, 1859, the most powerful magnetic storm on record occurred, causing telegraph lines in the United States to malfunction and resulting in the Northern Lights being visible in the sky from Cuba, Jamaica, and the Bahamas. The sky was so bright that sleeping birds woke up and started chirping, and people got up and went to work, mistaking it for morning. This event was so remarkable that it was named the Carrington Event in honor of the astronomer who first reported it, Richard Carrington.

Even smaller storms can sometimes become noteworthy. Due to an electromagnetic storm on March 13-14, 1989, transformers in Quebec, Canada, went offline, causing the city to be without electricity for approximately nine hours.

During the magnetic storm that lasted from October 19 to November 5, 2003, radio communication was disrupted for several hours, and the American aircraft navigation system was inoperable for about 30 hours. In space, the incident was even more serious: Japan’s satellite ADEOS-2 was severely damaged by the magnetic storm.

Fortunately, such large magnetic storms are relatively rare, occurring only once every 2 1/2 years on average. Weak storms, which only cause mild fluctuations in the power grid, occur more frequently, around once every two to three days.

The Impact of Solar Flares and Magnetic Storms on Earth and its Defense Mechanisms

A star like our Sun not only provides life to our planet, but also emits powerful electromagnetic radiation. It typically operates in a relatively calm state, but occasionally there are solar flares: intense bursts of energy that can last several minutes or hours.

Radiation from a flare on the side of the Sun facing Earth takes about two to three days to reach our planet. As this radiation carries a great deal of energy, it can potentially damage spacecraft in its path, as it did to a Japanese satellite in 2003.

However, this radiation does not reach our planet’s surface, nor does it affect the people and animals that inhabit it, as we have a natural defense mechanism built-in: Earth’s molten iron core. This core turns our planet into a huge magnet, surrounded by its own magnetic field.

When the flow of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun encounters our planet’s magnetic field, it causes the field to oscillate. This is what’s known as a magnetic storm, also referred to as a geomagnetic storm.

A magnetic storm of sufficient strength induces an electric current in all wires on the Earth’s surface, regardless of whether they are energized or not, due to the oscillating magnetic field. If a current was already running through the wires, the storm intensifies it, as seen during the Carrington event when the telegraph stopped working. The majority of electromagnetic radiation is directed towards the North and South Poles, owing to the Earth’s magnetic field. Auroras manifest in these regions of the world as atoms and molecules in the upper layers of the atmosphere absorb excess energy from solar radiation.

How magnetic storms affect human beings

Heliobiology is a scientific field that focuses on studying the effects of solar activity on human health. This field was founded by Russian physicist Alexander Chizhevsky in the 1930s. In recent times, heliobiologists have been conducting research to explore the relationship between magnetic storms and various health conditions, such as mental illness, cardiovascular deaths, and neurological disorders. Despite the ongoing research, the scientific approach itself faces a number of conceptual problems.

Firstly, the existence of the relationship between geomagnetic storms and increased disease risk has not been fully proven. If there was a correlation between the two, people would call for medical assistance more frequently during such storms than when the Sun is stable. However, there is no evidence to support this claim. While there have been some reports linking geomagnetic storms with negative health effects, these reports have not been scientifically verified.

Secondly, heliobiologists have not yet identified a plausible mechanism by which magnetic storms could affect human health. From a physics perspective, a magnetic storm induces a giant alternating magnetic field that could potentially disrupt the functioning of nerve cells by causing an extra electric current. Since nerve cells rely on electricity to transmit information from the body to the brain and back again, any disruption in their functioning could potentially lead to health issues. However, this theory has not yet been fully proven, and researchers continue to explore the possible mechanisms by which geomagnetic storms could affect human health.

To gain a deeper understanding, let us examine the physical details involved, as in practice, the human body does not experience excess current during magnetic storms.

Scientists usually measure the intensity of magnetic fields in Teslas. Magnetic storms cause the Earth’s magnetic field to fluctuate, with an intensity of approximately 30 microteslas. During the Carrington event, the Earth’s magnetic field fluctuated with an amplitude of 1.76 microtesla. Although electric current appears in long metal wires under such conditions, it is not enough to generate excess current in the human body.

During weaker magnetic storms, the fluctuation of the Earth’s magnetic field is even smaller, not exceeding 0.5 microtesla. In fact, an ordinary Canadian city can produce a magnetic flux of the same intensity without any magnetic storms, thanks to electric current flowing along wires and electrical appliances used by residents.

Therefore, international organizations generally believe that the human body is evolutionarily adapted to the Earth’s magnetic field and the slight fluctuations it undergoes during magnetic storms.

Apart from the above, magnetic storms can also affect living beings via another mechanism. For instance, salmon, sea turtles, honey bees, and migratory birds rely on the Earth’s geomagnetic field for navigation, although we don’t yet fully understand how they do so. One theory suggests that migratory birds can observe the Earth’s geomagnetic field thanks to a protein called cryptochrome found in their eyes. However, humans lack cryptochromes and the associated “geomagnetic feeling.” As a result, magnetic storms do not affect our orientation in space, as a natural phenomenon like this is simply beyond our perception. Nevertheless, magnetic storms remain an important subject of research as they can impact the environment and technological systems.

Surviving Magnetic Storms: Tips and Guidelines

The nocebo effect causes many people who complain about geomagnetic storms to experience unpleasant sensations because they believe the storms are harmful. This is similar to the placebo effect but with a negative outcome. However, their complaints are not necessarily fabricated or feigned, and may indicate the presence of a health anxiety disorder. This disorder can significantly impact a person’s life, but fortunately, it has been extensively researched by modern medicine. To alleviate the unpleasant sensations, it is recommended to seek the help of a psychotherapist.