Occupational exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a prospective cohort.
Koeman T, Slottje P, Schouten LJ, Peters S, Huss A, Veldink JH, Kromhout H, van den Brandt PA, Vermeulen R. · 2017
View Original AbstractMen with high workplace magnetic field exposure had double the ALS risk, strengthening evidence for ELF-MF's role in neurological disease.
Plain English Summary
Researchers followed over 120,000 Dutch adults for 17 years to study whether workplace exposures increase the risk of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a fatal neurological disease. Men with high occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) had more than double the risk of dying from ALS compared to those with background exposure. This adds to growing evidence that ELF-MF exposure may contribute to this devastating disease that affects nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles.
Why This Matters
This prospective study strengthens the evidence linking ELF-MF exposure to ALS, one of the most serious neurological conditions. What makes this research particularly compelling is its design - following people forward in time rather than looking backward, which reduces bias. The doubling of ALS risk among men with high occupational ELF-MF exposure is significant, especially given ALS's devastating nature and lack of effective treatments.
The reality is that many occupations involve ELF-MF exposure levels far higher than what most people encounter at home from appliances and wiring. However, some common sources like living near power lines or working with electrical equipment can produce similar field strengths. While this study focused on occupational exposure, it adds to the body of evidence suggesting we should take ELF-MF exposure seriously, particularly for those with higher exposures through work or living situations.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
To prospectively study suspected occupational risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
For this case-cohort analysis within the prospective Netherlands Cohort Study, 58 279 men and 62 573...
Occupational exposure to ELF-MF showed a possible association with ALS mortality among men: HR for e...
These results strengthen the evidence suggesting a positive association between ELF-MF exposure and ALS. We did not replicate earlier positive findings for other occupational exposures.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2017_occupational_exposure_and_amyotrophic_1753,
author = {Koeman T and Slottje P and Schouten LJ and Peters S and Huss A and Veldink JH and Kromhout H and van den Brandt PA and Vermeulen R.},
title = {Occupational exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a prospective cohort.},
year = {2017},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28356332/},
}