Review of the epidemiologic literature on EMF and Health
Authors not listed · 2001
The review found the strongest evidence for an association between childhood leukemia and postnatal EMF exposures above 0.4 microtesla, with a relative risk of 2.0 in a large pooled analysis.
Plain English Summary
They concluded that study quality has improved and recent studies on childhood leukemia and occupational cancer approach the limits of feasible size and rigor. The review found no chronic disease with an established etiological relation to EMF. Childhood leukemia showed the strongest association with postnatal exposures above 0.4 microtesla (relative risk 2.0, 95% CI 1.27-3.13), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed an association with occupational exposure that could be due to confounding.
Why This Matters
The authors noted that the childhood leukemia association is unlikely to be due to chance but may reflect bias, and is hard to interpret without a known mechanism or experimental support. Only 0.8% of children in the pooled analysis were exposed above 0.4 microtesla, and the authors called for further studies to test specific hypotheses about selection bias or exposure. The review also stated that breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and suicide and depression remain unresolved in relation to EMF.
Show BibTeX
@article{review_of_the_epidemiologic_literature_on_emf_and_health_ce1517,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Review of the epidemiologic literature on EMF and Health},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1289/EHP.109-1240626},
}