Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and follicular lymphoma risk: a family case-control study

Michael K Odutola¹, Marina T van Leeuwen¹, Fiona J Bruinsma^{2

3}, Geza Benke⁴, Michelle C Turner^{5

6

7}, Judith Trotman⁸, Jennifer Turner^{9

10}, John F Seymour¹¹, H Miles Prince¹², Samuel T Milliken¹³, Campbell Tiley¹⁴, Mark Hertzberg¹⁵, Fernando Roncolato¹⁶, Stephen Opat¹⁷, Robert Lindeman¹⁸, Emma Verner⁸, Craig R Underhill¹⁹, Elisabeth Cardis^{5

6

7}, Graham Giles^{2

20}, Claire M Vajdic^{21

22}

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain.
⁶ Department of Global Health, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
⁷ Spanish Consortium for Research and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Concord Repatriation General Hospital and University of Sydney, Concord, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ Anatomical Pathology, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹² Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
¹³ Haematology Department, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ Cancer Day Unit, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Haematology, Prince of Wales Hospital and University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁶ Clinical Haematology, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁷ Clinical Haematology, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁸ Clinical Operations, New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁹ Border Medical Oncology Research Unit, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
²⁰ Precision Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
²¹ Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia claire.vajdic@unsw.edu.au.
²² The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 37722828
PMCID: PMC10591762
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2023-108949

Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and follicular lymphoma risk: a family case-control study

Michael K Odutola et al. Occup Environ Med. 2023 Oct.

. 2023 Oct;80(10):599-602.

doi: 10.1136/oemed-2023-108949. Epub 2023 Sep 18.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ ISGlobal, Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain.
⁶ Department of Global Health, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.
⁷ Spanish Consortium for Research and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Concord Repatriation General Hospital and University of Sydney, Concord, New South Wales, Australia.
⁹ Anatomical Pathology, Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹¹ Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
¹² Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
¹³ Haematology Department, St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ Cancer Day Unit, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Haematology, Prince of Wales Hospital and University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁶ Clinical Haematology, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁷ Clinical Haematology, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
¹⁸ Clinical Operations, New South Wales Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁹ Border Medical Oncology Research Unit, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
²⁰ Precision Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
²¹ Centre for Big Data Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia claire.vajdic@unsw.edu.au.
²² The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 37722828
PMCID: PMC10591762
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2023-108949

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to examine the relationship between occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) and follicular lymphoma (FL) risk.

Methods: We conducted a family case-control study between 2011 and 2016 in Australia and included 681 cases. Controls were either a family member of cases (related (n=294), unrelated (n=179)) or were unrelated recruited for a similarly designed Australian multiple myeloma study (n=711). We obtained detailed job histories using lifetime work calendars. We assigned exposure to ELF-MFs using an enhanced job exposure matrix, with a lag period of 10 years. We examined associations with FL risk using logistic regression accounting for relatedness between cases and controls. We performed sensitivity analyses including by control type, by sex, complete case analyses, ELF-MF exposure percentiles in addition to quartiles, ELF-MF exposure in the maximum exposed job, a shorter lag period (1 year) and the cumulative exposure in the most recent time period (1-9 years).

Results: We observed no association with the average intensity, duration or lifetime cumulative exposure to occupational ELF-MF exposure in the primary or sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions: Our findings do not support an association between occupational ELF-MF exposure and FL risk. Although the inclusion of family members as part of the larger control group may have biased our risk estimates towards the null, findings were similar in sensitivity analyses restricted to cases and unrelated controls. Further research incorporating enhanced exposure assessment to ELF-MF is warranted to inform occupational safety regulations and any potential role in lymphomagenesis.

Keywords: epidemiology; occupational health; public health; radiation, nonionizing; risk assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

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Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and follicular lymphoma risk: a family case-control study

Affiliations

Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields and follicular lymphoma risk: a family case-control study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical