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Cancer & Tumors107 citations

Mobile phone base stations and early childhood cancers: case-control study.

No Effects Found

Elliott P, Toledano MB, Bennett J, Beale L, de Hoogh K, Best N, Briggs DJ. · 2010

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Living near cell phone towers during pregnancy showed no increased childhood cancer risk in this large British study.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

British researchers examined whether children whose mothers lived near cell phone towers during pregnancy had higher rates of cancer. They compared 1,397 children with cancer to 5,588 healthy children, analyzing the distance from their birth address to nearby cell towers and the radiofrequency exposure levels. The study found no increased cancer risk associated with proximity to cell towers or higher exposure levels during pregnancy.

Study Details

To investigate the risk of early childhood cancers associated with the mother's exposure to radiofrequency from and proximity to macrocell mobile phone base stations (masts) during pregnancy.

1397 cases of cancer in children aged 0-4 from national cancer registry 1999-2001 and 5588 birth con...

Incidence of cancers of the brain and central nervous system, leukaemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas...

There is no association between risk of early childhood cancers and estimates of the mother's exposure to mobile phone base stations during pregnancy.

Cite This Study
Elliott P, Toledano MB, Bennett J, Beale L, de Hoogh K, Best N, Briggs DJ. (2010). Mobile phone base stations and early childhood cancers: case-control study. BMJ. 340:c3077, 2010.
Show BibTeX
@article{p_2010_mobile_phone_base_stations_3010,
  author = {Elliott P and Toledano MB and Bennett J and Beale L and de Hoogh K and Best N and Briggs DJ.},
  title = {Mobile phone base stations and early childhood cancers: case-control study.},
  year = {2010},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20570865/},
}
PubMed: 20570865

Cited By (107 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

A British study of 1,397 children with cancer found no increased cancer risk from cell tower proximity during pregnancy. Children whose mothers lived near towers showed the same cancer rates as those living farther away, with no difference in brain tumors, leukemia, or lymphomas.
Research shows distance from cell towers during pregnancy doesn't affect childhood cancer risk. The study found children lived an average of 1,107 meters from towers whether they developed cancer or not, indicating proximity alone isn't a determining factor for cancer development.
Cell tower power output near homes during pregnancy doesn't increase childhood cancer risk. The study measured total power within 700 meters of birth addresses, finding similar exposure levels (around 3 kilowatts) for both children with cancer and healthy children.
No association exists between cell tower radiofrequency exposure during pregnancy and childhood brain cancer. British researchers found children exposed to higher radiofrequency power density actually showed slightly lower brain cancer rates, though the difference wasn't statistically significant.
Multiple cell towers near pregnant mothers don't increase childhood leukemia risk. The 2010 British study analyzed 76,890 base station antennas and found no correlation between tower density, combined power output, or modeled exposure levels and leukemia development in children.