Cancer incidence near radio and television transmitters in Great Britain. II. All high power transmitters.
Dolk H, Elliott P, Shaddick G, Walls P, Thakrar B · 1997
View Original AbstractLarge-scale British study found no increased cancer risk within 2 kilometers of high-power broadcast transmitters, contradicting earlier single-site findings.
Plain English Summary
British researchers studied cancer rates around 20 high-power TV and radio transmitters from 1974-1986, examining over 3,000 adult leukemia cases within 10 kilometers. They found only a weak decline in adult leukemia risk with distance from transmitters, with no increased cancer risk within 2 kilometers of the towers. This large-scale study failed to replicate earlier findings from a single transmitter site, suggesting that broadcast towers may not significantly increase cancer risk in nearby communities.
Why This Matters
This study represents one of the most comprehensive examinations of cancer risk near broadcast transmitters, covering 20 high-power sites across Great Britain over 12 years. The findings are particularly significant because they contradict earlier alarming results from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter study that had suggested increased cancer risk near broadcast towers. The reality is that when researchers expanded their investigation to include multiple transmitter sites and thousands of cancer cases, the dramatic patterns seen at the single site largely disappeared. What this means for you is that living near broadcast towers appears to carry minimal cancer risk based on this extensive evidence. The study found no excess cancer risk within 2 kilometers of transmitters, where RF exposure would be highest. While the research has limitations in exposure measurement, the large scale and long timeframe provide reassurance that broadcast transmitters are not creating cancer clusters in surrounding communities.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
A small area study of cancer incidence, 1974-1986, near 20 high power television (TV) and frequency modulation (FM) radio transmitters in Great Britain was carried out to place in context the findings of an earlier study around the Sutton Coldfield transmitter.
The national database of postcoded cancer registrations was used with population and socioeconomic d...
There were 3,305 adult leukemia cases from 0-10 km (observed/expected (O/E) ratio = 1.03, 95% confid...
The authors conclude that the results at most give no more than very weak support to the Sutton Coldfield findings.
Show BibTeX
@article{h_1997_cancer_incidence_near_radio_2041,
author = {Dolk H and Elliott P and Shaddick G and Walls P and Thakrar B},
title = {Cancer incidence near radio and television transmitters in Great Britain. II. All high power transmitters.},
year = {1997},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8982017/},
}