Association between exposure to electromagnetic fields from high voltage transmission lines and neurobehavioral function in children.

PloS one · 2013 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4593

In multivariable regression adjusted for confounders, children attending a school near 500 kV high voltage transmission lines performed worse on computerized neurobehavioral tests for Visual Retention and Pursuit Aiming compared with children at a school not …

Study snapshot

PublicationPloS one · 2013

Study typecross_sectional

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Evidence for a possible causal relationship between exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by high voltage transmission (HVT) lines and neurobehavioral dysfunction in children is insufficient. The present study aims to investigate the association between EMF exposure from HVT lines and neurobehavioral function in children. METHODS: Two primary schools were chosen based on monitoring data of ambient electromagnetic radiation. A cross-sectional study with 437 children (9 to 13 years old) was conducted. Exposure to EMF from HVT lines was monitored at each school. Information was collected on possible confounders and relevant exposure predictors using standardized questionnaires. Neurobehavioral function in children was evaluated using established computerized neurobehavioral tests. Data was analyzed using multivariable regression models adjusted for relevant confounders. RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounding factors, multivariable regression revealed that children attending a school near 500 kV HVT lines had poorer performance on the computerized neurobehavioral tests for Visual Retention and Pursuit Aiming compared to children attending a school that was not in close proximity to HVT lines. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest long-term low-level exposure to EMF from HVT lines might have a negative impact on neurobehavioral function in children. However, because of differences in results only for two of four tests achieved statistical significance and potential limitations, more studies are needed to explore the effects of exposure to extremely low frequency EMF on neurobehavioral function and development in children.

Machine Enhanced Logic

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 typecross_sectional

Effect directionmixed

PopulationChildren aged 9–13 years attending two primary schools

Sample size437

ExposureELF · long-term low-level exposure (implied)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Neurobehavioral function (computerized tests)
Visual Retention test performance
Pursuit Aiming test performance

Limitations

Cross-sectional design (association only)
Only two of four neurobehavioral tests showed statistically significant differences
Potential limitations noted by authors (not specified in abstract)
Two-school comparison may limit generalizability

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "cross_sectional",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "high voltage transmission lines",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "long-term low-level exposure (implied)"
  },
  "population": "Children aged 9–13 years attending two primary schools",
  "sample_size": 437,
  "outcomes": [
    "Neurobehavioral function (computerized tests)",
    "Visual Retention test performance",
    "Pursuit Aiming test performance"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In multivariable regression adjusted for confounders, children attending a school near 500 kV high voltage transmission lines performed worse on computerized neurobehavioral tests for Visual Retention and Pursuit Aiming compared with children at a school not in close proximity to the lines. Only two of four tests showed statistically significant differences.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Cross-sectional design (association only)",
    "Only two of four neurobehavioral tests showed statistically significant differences",
    "Potential limitations noted by authors (not specified in abstract)",
    "Two-school comparison may limit generalizability"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic fields",
    "high voltage transmission lines",
    "500 kV",
    "extremely low frequency",
    "children",
    "neurobehavioral function",
    "visual retention",
    "pursuit aiming",
    "school exposure",
    "cross-sectional"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.1,
      "reason": "Exposure source is power transmission infrastructure; however the population is children at schools, not workers, so relevance is limited."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067284
PubMed: 23843999

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