Childhood leukemia risk in the California Power Line Study: magnetic fields versus distance from power lines

2019 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 1913

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2019

Study typecase_control

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Childhood leukemia risk in the California Power Line Study: magnetic fields versus distance from power lines Catherine M.Crespi, JohnSwanson, Ximena P.Vergara, LeekaKheifets. Childhood leukemia risk in the California Power Line Study: magnetic fields versus distance from power lines.Environmental Research.January 11, 2019. doi.org. Highlights • Magnetic field strength and power line proximity are related but distinguishable • Childhood leukemia risk was higher only when highly exposed to both • Factors other than magnetic fields may explain higher leukemia risk near lines Abstract Pooled analyses have suggested a small increased risk of childhood leukemia associated with distance and with exposure to high magnetic fields from power transmission lines. Because magnetic fields are correlated with distance from lines, the question of whether the risk is due to magnetic fields exposure or to some other factor associated with distance from lines is unresolved. We used data from a large records-based case-control study to examine several research questions formulated to disentangle the relationships among magnetic fields, distance from high voltage lines, and childhood leukemia risk. In models examining an interaction between distance and magnetic fields exposure, we found that neither close proximity to high voltage lines alone nor exposure to high calculated fields alone were associated with childhood leukemia risk. Rather, elevated risk was confined to the group that was both very close to high voltage lines (<50 m) and had high calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) (odds ratio 4.06, 95% CI 1.16, 14.3). Further, high calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) that were due solely to lower voltage lines (<200 kV) were not associated with elevated risk; rather, risk was confined to high fields attributable to high voltage lines. Whilst other explanations are possible, our findings argue against magnetic fields as a sole explanation for the association between distance and childhood leukemia and in favor of some other explanation linked to characteristics of power lines. sciencedirect.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 typecase_control

Effect directionmixed

Populationchildren (childhood leukemia)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In interaction models, neither close proximity to high voltage lines alone nor high calculated magnetic fields alone were associated with childhood leukemia risk. Elevated risk was confined to children both very close to high voltage lines (<50 m) and with high calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) (OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.16–14.3). High calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) attributable solely to lower voltage lines (<200 kV) were not associated with elevated risk; the elevated risk was confined to high fields attributable to high voltage lines.

Outcomes measured

childhood leukemia risk

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "case_control",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "power lines",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "children (childhood leukemia)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "childhood leukemia risk"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In interaction models, neither close proximity to high voltage lines alone nor high calculated magnetic fields alone were associated with childhood leukemia risk. Elevated risk was confined to children both very close to high voltage lines (<50 m) and with high calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) (OR 4.06, 95% CI 1.16–14.3). High calculated fields (≥0.4 μT) attributable solely to lower voltage lines (<200 kV) were not associated with elevated risk; the elevated risk was confined to high fields attributable to high voltage lines.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "childhood leukemia",
    "case-control",
    "power transmission lines",
    "distance to power lines",
    "magnetic fields",
    "calculated fields",
    "high voltage lines",
    "ELF"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "power-lines-elf",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Study evaluates childhood leukemia risk in relation to distance from high voltage power lines and calculated ELF magnetic fields (μT)."
    },
    {
      "slug": "childhood-leukemia",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Outcome is childhood leukemia risk in a records-based case-control study."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.01.022
PubMed: Not supplied

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