Occupational exposures and risk of dementia-related mortality in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study.
Koeman T, Schouten LJ, van den Brandt PA, Slottje P, Huss A, Peters S, Kromhout H, Vermeulen R. · 2015
View Original AbstractMen with occupational ELF magnetic field exposure showed increased dementia mortality risk in this 17-year Dutch study of 120,000 people.
Plain English Summary
Dutch researchers followed over 120,000 people for 17 years to see if workplace exposures increased dementia death risk. They found that men exposed to metals, chlorinated solvents, and extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) at work had higher rates of non-vascular dementia mortality. The strongest link was with metals exposure, showing a 35% increased risk.
Why This Matters
This large-scale study adds important evidence to the growing body of research linking ELF magnetic field exposure to neurological harm. What makes this particularly significant is that it examined real-world occupational exposures over nearly two decades, not just laboratory conditions. The 35% increased dementia risk associated with metals exposure, combined with the positive associations for ELF-MF and chlorinated solvents, suggests these workplace exposures may accelerate brain degeneration. While the study focused on occupational settings, the reality is that ELF magnetic fields are everywhere in our modern environment. Power lines, electrical wiring, appliances, and electronic devices all generate these same frequencies. The science demonstrates that if workplace-level ELF exposures contribute to dementia risk, we should be asking serious questions about the cumulative effects of our daily electromagnetic environment.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study is to observe Occupational exposures and risk of dementia-related mortality in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study.
We analyzed the effects of occupational exposures to solvents, pesticides, metals, extremely low fre...
Occupational exposure to metals, chlorinated solvents and ELF-MF showed positive associations with n...
Consistent positive associations were found between occupational exposure to metals and non-vascular dementia. The finding on pesticides is not supported in the overall literature.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2015_occupational_exposures_and_risk_1752,
author = {Koeman T and Schouten LJ and van den Brandt PA and Slottje P and Huss A and Peters S and Kromhout H and Vermeulen R.},
title = {Occupational exposures and risk of dementia-related mortality in the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study.},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1002/ajim.22462},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajim.22462},
}