Electromagnetic field exposures and childhood cancers in New Zealand

Abstract

Objectives: To assess childhood cancer risks for electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted in New Zealand. Cases (aged from zero to 14 years) were ascertained from national databases including the New Zealand Cancer Registry; 303 took part (participation rate, 88 percent). The 303 age- and gender-matched controls were selected randomly from birth records (participation, 69 percent). Mothers were interviewed about appliance exposures (all cases and controls), and 24-hour residential measurements of EMFs were made (leukemia cases and matched controls).

Results: For the various appliance exposures, there were some odds ratios (OR) above 1.0 and others below 1.0. For electric blanket use by the child before diagnosis, the adjusted ORs were: leukemia, 2.2 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 0.7-6.4); central nervous system cancers, ORs = 1.6 (CI = 0.4-7.1); and other solid cancers, OR = 2.4 (CI = 1.0-6.1). Leukemia risk was increased for the highest category of the mean measured bedroom magnetic field (> or = 0.2microT cf < 0.1 microT), with an adjusted OR of 15.5 (CI = 1.1-224). A gradient in OR with exposure was not shown (middle category: OR 1.4, CI = 0.3-7.6), and there was no association with exposure categorized into thirds based on controls' exposure. The adjusted OR for leukemia in relation to the measured daytime room magnetic field (> or = 0.2 microT cf < 0.1 microT) was 5.2 (CI = 0.9-30.8).

Conclusions: This was a small study and multiple comparisons were made. The positive findings thus should be interpreted cautiously.