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Static magnetic fields with intensities starting from 6 gauss (6×10⁻⁴ tesla, T) were found to decrease in an intensity‐dependent fashion, reaching a plateau at 6 × 10⁻³ T, the extent of cell death by apoptosis induced by several agents in different human cell systems. This is not due to a change in the mode of cell death (i.e., to necrosis) or to a delay of the process itself; rather, the presence of magnetic fields allows the indefinite survival and replication of the cells hit by apoptogenic agents. The protective effect was found to be mediated by the ability of the fields to enhance Ca²⁺ influx from the extracellular medium; accordingly, it was limited to those cell systems where Ca²⁺ influx was shown to have an antiapoptotic effect. Magnetic fields thus might interfere with human health by altering/restoring the equilibrium between cell death and proliferation; indeed, the rescue of damaged cells may be the mechanism …