Mortality of plastic-ware workers exposed to radiofrequencies.
Lagorio S, Rossi S, Vecchia P, De Santis M, Bastianini L, Fusilli M, Ferrucci A, Desideri E, Comba P, · 1997
View Original AbstractThirty-year study of plastic workers found elevated cancer deaths, especially leukemia, among those exposed to radiofrequency radiation from industrial equipment.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tracked the health outcomes of 481 Italian women who worked with radiofrequency-emitting heat sealing equipment in plastic manufacturing from 1962 to 1992. They found elevated rates of cancer deaths, particularly leukemia, among workers in the sealing department where RF exposure occurred compared to other areas of the factory. While the study couldn't rule out other workplace chemicals as contributing factors, it suggests a potential link between occupational RF exposure and increased cancer risk.
Why This Matters
This 30-year occupational study provides important evidence in the EMF-cancer debate, particularly because it examines real-world workplace exposures over decades rather than short-term laboratory conditions. The finding of elevated cancer mortality, especially leukemia, among workers directly exposed to radiofrequency radiation aligns with other occupational studies showing increased cancer risks in RF-exposed populations. While the researchers appropriately noted study limitations including small sample size and potential chemical confounders, the dose-response relationship they observed (higher cancer rates specifically in the high-exposure sealing department) strengthens the biological plausibility of RF-cancer associations. What makes this study particularly relevant today is that the RF frequencies used in industrial heat sealing overlap with those used in modern wireless technologies, though at different power levels and exposure patterns.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The mortality experience of a cohort of Italian plastic-ware workers exposed to radiofrequency (RF)-electromagnetic fields generated by dielectric heat sealers was investigated.
Follow-up extended from 1962 to 1992. The standardised mortality ratio (SMR) analysis was restricted...
representing 78% of the total person-years at risk. Mortality from malignant neoplasms was slightly ...
Show BibTeX
@article{s_1997_mortality_of_plasticware_workers_2327,
author = {Lagorio S and Rossi S and Vecchia P and De Santis M and Bastianini L and Fusilli M and Ferrucci A and Desideri E and Comba P and},
title = {Mortality of plastic-ware workers exposed to radiofrequencies.},
year = {1997},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9261538/},
}