Cancer incidence and mortality and proximity to TV towers.
Hocking B, Gordon IR, Grain HL, Hatfield GE · 1997
View Original AbstractChildren living near TV towers showed 58% higher leukemia rates at RF levels lower than many experience from modern wireless infrastructure.
Plain English Summary
Australian researchers studied cancer rates near TV broadcast towers from 1972-1990. Children living closer to the towers had 58% higher leukemia rates and were twice as likely to die from the disease, even at low radiation levels.
Why This Matters
This landmark Australian study provides compelling evidence that even relatively low levels of radiofrequency radiation can increase cancer risk in children. The power density levels measured near these TV towers (0.02 to 8.0 microW/cm²) are actually lower than what many people experience today from cell towers and wireless devices in urban environments. What makes this research particularly significant is its 18-year timeframe and the clear dose-response relationship - cancer rates were highest closest to the towers and decreased with distance. The doubling of childhood leukemia death rates near these towers represents one of the strongest associations found in EMF cancer research. This study challenges the narrative that only thermal levels of RF radiation pose health risks, demonstrating that chronic exposure to non-thermal levels can have serious biological consequences, especially for developing children whose cells are more vulnerable to electromagnetic interference.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.00002, 0.0002, 0.008 µW/m²
Exposure Context
This study used 0.00002, 0.0002, 0.008 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 2Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 33.3x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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
To determine whether there is an increased cancer incidence and mortality in populations exposed to radiofrequency radiations from TV towers.
An ecological study comparing cancer incidence and mortality, 1972-1990, in nine municipalities, thr...
For all ages, the rate ratio for total leukaemia incidence was 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1...
We found an association between increased childhood leukaemia incidence and mortality and proximity to TV towers.
Show BibTeX
@article{b_1997_cancer_incidence_and_mortality_1029,
author = {Hocking B and Gordon IR and Grain HL and Hatfield GE},
title = {Cancer incidence and mortality and proximity to TV towers.},
year = {1997},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8985435/},
}