Case-control study of childhood cancer and exposure to 60-Hz magnetic fields
Authors not listed · 1988
In a Denver case-control study, wire codes indicating higher magnetic fields were associated with an odds ratio of 1.5 for total childhood cancers.
Plain English Summary
Researchers studied 356 children diagnosed with cancer between 1976 and 1983 in the Denver area and compared them with controls selected by random digit dialing. Measured magnetic fields under low power use at a 2.0 milligauss cutoff showed an odds ratio of 1.4 for total cancers, with higher odds ratios for leukemias, lymphomas, and soft tissue sarcomas. Wire configuration codes contrasting very high and high versus very low, low, and buried codes yielded an odds ratio of 1.5 for total cancers. Adjusted estimates for measured fields and wire codes did not differ from crude results, indicating an absence of confounding.
Why This Matters
Under high power use conditions, neither magnetic fields nor electric fields were related to total cancers. The wire code association was consistent across cancer subgroups except for brain cancer and lymphomas. Contrasting very high to buried wire code homes produced larger but less precise odds ratios of 2.3 for total cases, 2.9 for leukemias, and 3.3 for lymphomas. The authors noted limitations including nonresponse, differential mobility, and exposure misclassification from imperfect surrogates. Despite these concerns, the results encouraged further examination of the carcinogenic potential of this nonionizing radiation.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Show BibTeX
@article{case_control_study_of_childhood_cancer_and_exposure_to_60_hz_magnetic_fields_ce1623,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Case-control study of childhood cancer and exposure to 60-Hz magnetic fields},
year = {1988},
doi = {10.1093/OXFORDJOURNALS.AJE.A114943},
}