Occupational Exposure to Nonionizing Radiation and Risk for Malignancy in Young Adults

2023 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 550

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typecohort

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Occupational Exposure to Nonionizing Radiation and Risk for Malignancy in Young Adults Shapira S, Nitecki M, Tzur D, Schwartz N, Silverman BG, Zack O, Friedensohn-Zuck L. Occupational Exposure to Nonionizing Radiation and Risk for Malignancy in Young Adults. Military Medicine, 2023. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usad020. Abstract Introduction Nonionizing radiation (NIR) is considered “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” and therefore, exposure of young military personnel raises concerns regarding increased risk for cancer. The aim of our study was to compare the cancer incidence in exposed and nonexposed populations in order to gain better understanding of their risk. Materials and Methods A longitudinal retrospective cohort study, between 2009 and 2018, was conducted. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aerial defense units service members, with NIR exposure (range of 2-300 GHz, below the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines), were compared with a similar sociodemographic group of service members without NIR exposure. Both groups were followed for cancer incidence (all-cause and specific malignancies). Kaplan–Meier analysis of cancer-free survival and univariate and multivariable logistic regressions for possible confounders and risk factors were performed. This analysis was repeated on a matched 1:1 control group. Results Exposure and comparison groups included 3,825 and 11,049 individuals, respectively. Forty-one cases diagnosed with cancer were identified during the follow-up time (mean 4.8 [±2.7] years), 13 (0.34%) of which were reported in the exposure group, and 28 (0.25%) were reported in the comparison group. The odds ratio (OR) for cancer incidence in the exposure vs. control groups was 1.34 (95%CI, 0.70-2.60), P-value = 0.3807. The results remained unchanged after adjustment for sex, age at enrollment, service length, socioeconomic status, and military occupation (adjOR = 1.38 [95%CI, 0.67-2.82], P = 0.3818). Conclusions Our study did not find an increased short-term risk for cancer in young adults exposed to NIR radiation as compared with unexposed young adults. Excerpts A trend toward a higher rate of hematological and testicular malignancies was reported, albeit was statistically insignificant. The main shortcoming of most epidemiological data, both in the military and in mobile communication risk assessment, is a lack of a personal exposure dose measurement. Another limitation is the relatively short follow-up period (a median of 4.4 years in the exposed group), which may be insufficient to diagnose some types of malignancies, although following our population for over 17,710 person years. Considering the rarity of cancer diagnosis in young adults, this study might have been underpowered to detect the effect of NIR because of an overall small number of cases despite the large cohort. In this study, occupational exposure to NIR radiation did not increase the risk for cancer in young adults during the 9-year follow-up, as compared with unexposed individuals. Constant regulation of exposures by the IDF Occupational Health Administration as well as epidemiological surveillance is important for monitoring and reassessing possible health effects of modern radar systems. academic.oup.com

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typecohort

Effect directionno_effect

PopulationIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) aerial defense units service members (young adults) and a similar sociodemographic group of service members without NIR exposure

Sample size14874

Exposuremicrowave · follow-up mean 4.8 (±2.7) years; median 4.4 years in exposed group

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a retrospective cohort (2009–2018), cancer incidence was 0.34% in the exposed group (13/3,825) vs 0.25% in the comparison group (28/11,049). The odds ratio for cancer incidence in exposed vs control was 1.34 (95% CI 0.70–2.60; P=0.3807) and remained similar after adjustment (adjOR 1.38, 95% CI 0.67–2.82; P=0.3818). A statistically non-significant trend toward higher hematological and testicular malignancies was noted.

Outcomes measured

Cancer incidence (all-cause)
Specific malignancies (hematological, testicular mentioned)
Cancer-free survival

Limitations

Lack of personal exposure dose measurement
Relatively short follow-up period (median 4.4 years in exposed group) may be insufficient for some malignancies
Potentially underpowered due to small number of cancer cases despite large cohort

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": "occupational (military aerial defense units; radar systems implied)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "follow-up mean 4.8 (±2.7) years; median 4.4 years in exposed group"
  },
  "population": "Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aerial defense units service members (young adults) and a similar sociodemographic group of service members without NIR exposure",
  "sample_size": 14874,
  "outcomes": [
    "Cancer incidence (all-cause)",
    "Specific malignancies (hematological, testicular mentioned)",
    "Cancer-free survival"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a retrospective cohort (2009–2018), cancer incidence was 0.34% in the exposed group (13/3,825) vs 0.25% in the comparison group (28/11,049). The odds ratio for cancer incidence in exposed vs control was 1.34 (95% CI 0.70–2.60; P=0.3807) and remained similar after adjustment (adjOR 1.38, 95% CI 0.67–2.82; P=0.3818). A statistically non-significant trend toward higher hematological and testicular malignancies was noted.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Lack of personal exposure dose measurement",
    "Relatively short follow-up period (median 4.4 years in exposed group) may be insufficient for some malignancies",
    "Potentially underpowered due to small number of cancer cases despite large cohort"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "nonionizing radiation",
    "occupational exposure",
    "military",
    "radar",
    "microwave",
    "cancer incidence",
    "young adults",
    "cohort",
    "ICNIRP guidelines"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study evaluates cancer risk in military personnel with occupational NIR exposure."
    },
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Exposure described as below ICNIRP guidelines."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usad020
PubMed: Not supplied

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