Maternal cumulative exposure to ELF EMF and pregnancy outcomes in the Elfe cohort

2017 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 2185

In logistic regression analyses adjusted for maternal lifestyle, sociodemographic factors, and medical history, no significant association was observed between maternal cumulative ELF EMF exposure during pregnancy (within the exposure range studied) and moder…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017

Study typecohort

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Maternal cumulative exposure to ELF EMF and pregnancy outcomes in the Elfe cohort Migault L, Piel C, Carles C, Delva F, Lacourt A, Cardis E, Zaros C, de Seze R, Baldi I, Bouvier G. Maternal cumulative exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and pregnancy outcomes in the Elfe cohort. Environ Int. 2017 Dec 20;112:165-173. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.12.025. Abstract OBJECTIVES: To study the relations between maternal cumulative exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMF) and the risk of moderate prematurity and small for gestational age within the Elfe cohort. METHODS: The Elfe study included 18,329 infants born at 33weeks of gestation or more in France in 2011 and was designed to follow the children until 20years of age. Gestational age and anthropometric data at birth were collected in medical records and small for gestational age was defined according to a French customized growth standard. During interviews, mothers were asked to report their job status during pregnancy. If employed, their occupation was coded according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 and the date on which they stopped their work was recorded. Cumulative exposure to ELF EMF during pregnancy was assessed, for both mothers who worked and those who did not during pregnancy, using a recently-updated job- exposure matrix (JEM). Cumulative exposure was considered as a categorical variable (<17.5, 17.5-23.8, 23.8- 36.2, 36.2-61.6 or ≥61.6μT-days), a binary variable (<44.1 and ≥44.1μT-days) and a continuous variable. Associations were analyzed by logistic regression, adjusting for the mother's lifestyle factors, sociodemographic characteristics and some mother's medical history during and before pregnancy. Analyses were restricted to single births and to complete values for the pregnancy outcomes (n=16,733). RESULTS: Cumulative exposure was obtained for 96.0% of the mothers. Among them, 37.5% were classified in the 23.8-36.2μT-days category, but high exposures were rare: 1.3% in the ≥61.6μT-days category and 5.5% in the ≥44.1μT-days category. No significant association was observed between maternal cumulative exposure and moderate prematurity and small for gestational age in this exposure range. CONCLUSION: This large population-based study does not suggest that maternal exposure to ELF EMF during pregnancy is highly associated with risks of moderate prematurity or small for gestational age. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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

PopulationMothers and infants in the French Elfe cohort (infants born ≥33 weeks gestation in 2011); analyses restricted to single births with complete outcome data

Sample size16733

ExposureELF · during pregnancy (cumulative exposure in μT-days)

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

moderate prematurity
small for gestational age

Limitations

Exposure assessed using a job-exposure matrix (JEM) based on reported job status/occupation rather than direct measurements
High exposure categories were rare (e.g., 1.3% in ≥61.6 μT-days; 5.5% in ≥44.1 μT-days)
Analyses restricted to single births and complete outcome data (potential selection due to exclusions)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cohort",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "occupational",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "during pregnancy (cumulative exposure in μT-days)"
  },
  "population": "Mothers and infants in the French Elfe cohort (infants born ≥33 weeks gestation in 2011); analyses restricted to single births with complete outcome data",
  "sample_size": 16733,
  "outcomes": [
    "moderate prematurity",
    "small for gestational age"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In logistic regression analyses adjusted for maternal lifestyle, sociodemographic factors, and medical history, no significant association was observed between maternal cumulative ELF EMF exposure during pregnancy (within the exposure range studied) and moderate prematurity or small for gestational age.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure assessed using a job-exposure matrix (JEM) based on reported job status/occupation rather than direct measurements",
    "High exposure categories were rare (e.g., 1.3% in ≥61.6 μT-days; 5.5% in ≥44.1 μT-days)",
    "Analyses restricted to single births and complete outcome data (potential selection due to exclusions)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low frequency",
    "ELF EMF",
    "pregnancy outcomes",
    "prematurity",
    "small for gestational age",
    "job-exposure matrix",
    "cumulative exposure",
    "Elfe cohort",
    "France"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure during pregnancy was assessed using an occupational job-exposure matrix (JEM) based on maternal occupation/work status."
    }
  ]
}

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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.envint.2017.12.025
PubMed: Not supplied

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