Cancer incidence near radio and television transmitters in Great Britain. I. Sutton Coldfield transmitter.
Dolk H, Shaddick G, Walls P, Grundy C, Thakrar B, Kleinschmidt I, Elliott P, · 1997
View Original AbstractLiving within 2 kilometers of a high-power broadcast transmitter increased adult leukemia risk by 83% in this comprehensive British study.
Plain English Summary
British researchers investigated cancer rates around a major TV and radio transmitter in Sutton Coldfield, England, studying 13 years of cancer registry data within a 10-kilometer radius. They found an 83% increased risk of adult leukemia within 2 kilometers of the transmitter, with cancer risk declining significantly as distance from the transmitter increased. This pattern remained consistent across different time periods and appeared independent of an initially reported cancer cluster.
Why This Matters
This landmark 1997 study represents one of the most rigorous investigations of cancer risk near broadcast transmitters, using comprehensive national cancer registry data rather than anecdotal reports. The 83% increased leukemia risk within 2 kilometers is particularly significant because it shows a clear distance-related pattern - exactly what you'd expect if the transmitter emissions were contributing to the cancers. While the authors cautiously avoided claiming causation from this single study, the consistent findings across multiple time periods and the dose-response relationship (higher risk closer to the source) provide compelling evidence that high-power RF transmitters may pose cancer risks to nearby residents. What makes this especially relevant today is that modern cell towers and 5G installations operate at similar or higher power levels, often located much closer to homes and schools than this rural transmitter was to residential areas.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
A small area study of cancer incidence in 1974-1986 was carried out to investigate an unconfirmed report of a "cluster" of leukemias and lymphomas near the Sutton Coldfield television (TV) and frequency modulation (FM) radio transmitter in the West Midlands, England.
The study used a national database of postcoded cancer registrations, and population and socioeconom...
The risk of adult leukemia within 2 km was 1.83 (95% confidence interval 1.22-2.74), and there was a...
Show BibTeX
@article{h_1997_cancer_incidence_near_radio_2040,
author = {Dolk H and Shaddick G and Walls P and Grundy C and Thakrar B and Kleinschmidt I and Elliott P and},
title = {Cancer incidence near radio and television transmitters in Great Britain. I. Sutton Coldfield transmitter.},
year = {1997},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8982016/},
}