Some Cancers Linked To Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Some cancers, notably myeloid leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma, could be linked to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields, suggests research published in the journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

In this study, researchers, retrospectively checked the records of 20,141 retired or employed Swiss railway workers between 1972 and 2002. They reported no link between electromagnetic field exposure and deaths from lymphoid leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and brain tumours. However, there was some evidence that higher levels of electromagnetic field exposure increased the rates of myeloid leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Drivers were more than four times as likely to die of myeloid leukaemia, and over three times as likely to die of Hodgkin's lymphoma, as station masters.

The authors conclude ‘We found some evidence of an exposure-response association for myeloid leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease, but not for other haematopoietic and lymphatic malignancies and brain tumours’.

Source: http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/oem.2006.030270v1