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Cancer & Tumors

Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields From Broadcast Transmitters and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Census-based Cohort Study.

No Effects Found

Hauri DD, Spycher B, Huss A, Zimmermann F, Grotzer M, von der Weid, Spoerri A, Kuehni CE, Röösli M*, the Swiss National Cohort and the Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group. · 2014

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Large Swiss study found no increased childhood cancer risk from living near broadcast towers, even with decades of exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Swiss researchers followed over 4,000 children for up to 23 years to see if living near radio and TV broadcast towers increased their cancer risk. They found no increased risk of childhood leukemia and mixed results for brain tumors, with their most comprehensive analysis showing no association. This large population study suggests that RF radiation from broadcast transmitters does not significantly increase childhood cancer rates.

Study Details

We investigated the association between exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) from broadcast transmitters and childhood cancer.

First, we conducted a time-to-event analysis including children under age 16 years living in Switzer...

Based on 997 cancer cases, adjusted hazard ratios in the time-to-event analysis for the highest expo...

Results for CNS tumors were less consistent, but the most comprehensive analysis did not suggest an association.

Cite This Study
Hauri DD, Spycher B, Huss A, Zimmermann F, Grotzer M, von der Weid, Spoerri A, Kuehni CE, Röösli M*, the Swiss National Cohort and the Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group. (2014). Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields From Broadcast Transmitters and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Census-based Cohort Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. (2014) doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt442 First published online: February 19, 2014.
Show BibTeX
@article{dd_2014_exposure_to_radiofrequency_electromagnetic_3070,
  author = {Hauri DD and Spycher B and Huss A and Zimmermann F and Grotzer M and von der Weid and Spoerri A and Kuehni CE and Röösli M* and the Swiss National Cohort and the Swiss Paediatric Oncology Group.},
  title = {Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields From Broadcast Transmitters and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Census-based Cohort Study.},
  year = {2014},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24651167/},
}
PubMed: 24651167

Cited By (35 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A major Swiss study following over 4,000 children for 23 years found no increased cancer risk from living near radio and TV broadcast towers. The research showed no significant association between RF radiation exposure from broadcast transmitters and childhood leukemia or brain tumors.
No, according to a comprehensive Swiss population study. Researchers found children living near TV and radio towers had no increased risk of leukemia, with the highest exposure group showing a hazard ratio of 0.55, indicating potentially lower risk.
A large-scale Swiss study tracking nearly 1,000 childhood cancer cases found no evidence that RF radiation from broadcast antennas increases cancer risk. The 23-year follow-up showed no significant association between exposure levels and childhood cancers.
Swiss researchers found mixed initial results for brain tumors near radio transmitters, but their most comprehensive analysis showed no association. The study followed children for up to 23 years and found no significant increased risk of brain tumors.
A major Swiss population study found no increased cancer risks from broadcast tower radiation in children. Following over 4,000 children for decades, researchers detected no significant associations between RF exposure from towers and childhood leukemia or other cancers.