Parental occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields and radiation and the incidence of neuroblastoma in offspring.
De Roos AJ, Teschke K, Savitz DA, Poole C, Grufferman S, Pollock BH, Olshan AF. · 2001
View Original AbstractParental workplace EMF exposure may increase childhood neuroblastoma risk, with maternal radiofrequency exposure showing nearly 3-fold higher odds.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied 538 children with neuroblastoma cancer to see if parents' workplace electromagnetic field exposure increased risk. Mothers exposed to radiofrequency radiation had nearly triple the odds, while fathers exposed to magnetic fields showed 60% higher odds, suggesting potential workplace EMF risks.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to our understanding of how parental EMF exposure might affect developing children, even before conception. The finding that maternal radiofrequency exposure nearly tripled neuroblastoma risk is particularly significant because it suggests EMF effects can cross generational lines. The 0.4 microTesla threshold for paternal magnetic field exposure is noteworthy because it's achievable in many occupational settings and even some home environments near electrical equipment. What makes this research compelling is its large sample size of 538 cases across the US and Canada, providing statistical power often missing in EMF studies. While the researchers downplayed their findings by calling the evidence 'scant,' the reality is that even modest increases in childhood cancer risk deserve serious attention, especially when the exposures are preventable.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.0004 mG
Exposure Context
This study used 0.0004 mG for magnetic fields:
- 20x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 4x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
We examined parental occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields and radiation and the incidence of neuroblastoma in offspring.
Cases were 538 children diagnosed with neuroblastoma between 1992 and 1994 in the United States or C...
Maternal exposure to a broad grouping of sources that produce radiofrequency radiation was associate...
Overall, there was scant supportive evidence of strong associations between parental exposures in electromagnetic spectrum and neuroblastoma in offspring.
Show BibTeX
@article{aj_2001_parental_occupational_exposures_to_931,
author = {De Roos AJ and Teschke K and Savitz DA and Poole C and Grufferman S and Pollock BH and Olshan AF.},
title = {Parental occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields and radiation and the incidence of neuroblastoma in offspring.},
year = {2001},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11505168/},
}