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Cancer & Tumors

Occupational exposure to radio frequency/microwave radiation and the risk of brain tumors: Interphone Study Group, Germany.

No Effects Found

Berg G, Spallek J, Schuz J, Schlehofer B, Bohler E, Schlaefer K, Hettinger I, Kunna-Grass K, Wahrendorf J, Blettner M. · 2006

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Highly exposed workers showed no significant association with brain tumors (glioma odds ratio 1.21, 95% CI 0.69, 2.13; meningioma 1.34, 95% CI 0.64, 2.81).

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

German researchers studied 381 meningioma cases, 366 glioma cases, and 1,494 controls to see whether occupational radio frequency exposure was linked to brain tumors. They found no significant association: for highly exposed persons compared with persons not highly exposed, the adjusted odds ratios were 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma. The researchers noted that the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes.

Why This Matters

This German study from the Interphone research group adds important evidence to our understanding of occupational RF exposure risks. The study found no significant association; the adjusted odds ratios for highly exposed workers were 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma. What makes this particularly relevant is that high exposure was defined as occupational exposure that may exceed the RF/MW-EMF exposure limits for the general public recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The researchers noted that the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes. The study included 381 meningioma cases, 366 glioma cases, and 1,494 controls aged 30-69 years.

Study Details

This analysis examined the role of occupational RF/MW-EMF exposure in the risk of glioma and meningioma

A population-based, case-control study including 381 meningioma cases, 366 glioma cases, and 1,494 c...

No significant association between occupational exposure to RF/MW-EMF and brain tumors was found. Fo...

Cite This Study
Berg G, Spallek J, Schuz J, Schlehofer B, Bohler E, Schlaefer K, Hettinger I, Kunna-Grass K, Wahrendorf J, Blettner M. (2006). Occupational exposure to radio frequency/microwave radiation and the risk of brain tumors: Interphone Study Group, Germany. Am J Epidemiol.164(6):538-548, 2006.
Show BibTeX
@article{g_2006_occupational_exposure_to_radio_1900,
  author = {Berg G and Spallek J and Schuz J and Schlehofer B and Bohler E and Schlaefer K and Hettinger I and Kunna-Grass K and Wahrendorf J and Blettner M.},
  title = {Occupational exposure to radio frequency/microwave radiation and the risk of brain tumors: Interphone Study Group, Germany.},
  year = {2006},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16873421/},
}
PubMed: 16873421

Cited By (61 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A German case-control study of 381 meningioma cases, 366 glioma cases, and 1,494 controls found no significant association between occupational radio frequency exposure and brain tumors. For highly exposed persons, the adjusted odds ratios were 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma, and the researchers said the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes.
One major German study of workplace RF radiation found no significant increase in brain tumors. The adjusted odds ratios for highly exposed persons were 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma, and the researchers said the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes.
No significant association was found between high occupational radio frequency exposure and brain tumors. German researchers reported adjusted odds ratios of 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma in highly exposed persons compared with persons not highly exposed.
One German study found no significant association between occupational RF exposure and brain tumors. For highly exposed persons the adjusted odds ratios were 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma, and the researchers noted that the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes.
Occupational microwave radiation's brain effects remain unclear. A German study of 381 meningioma cases, 366 glioma cases, and 1,494 controls found no significant association between occupational RF/MW-EMF exposure and brain tumors, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 0.69, 2.13) for glioma and 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.64, 2.81) for meningioma in highly exposed persons; the slight increase in risk observed with increasing duration of exposure merits further research with larger sample sizes.