Brain tumor risk in offspring of men occupationally exposed to electric and magnetic fields.

Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 1996 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 5430

The study found very small increases in risk of childhood brain tumors associated with paternal occupational EMF exposure prior to conception (OR 1.12 to 1.31). A notably elevated odds ratio was found for paternal welding exposure (OR 3.8, 95% CI 0.95-15.55).

Study snapshot

PublicationScandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 1996

Study typecase_control

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to address the possible associations between the occupational exposure of men to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and the risk of childhood brain tumors in offspring by reanalyzing case-referent interview data from a study of environmental factors and childhood brain tumors conducted by one of the authors and first reported in 1990. METHODS: Analyses of the case-referent data were limited to the 94 cases and 166 individually-matched referents for whom data on the biological fathers were available. Paternal exposure to occupational EMF was inferred from a list of job titles compiled for that purpose. Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios (OR) for individually matched cases and referents were estimated for different definitions of exposure. RESULTS: The findings suggested at best very small increases in risk for jobs associated with the occupational EMF exposure of fathers during the one-year period prior to conception, the OR values ranging from 1.12 to 1.31. Notably elevated OR values were, however, found in association with any paternal welding in the one-year preconception period (OR 3.8, 95% confidence interval 0.95-15.55). CONCLUSIONS: The results of reanalysis indicate that preconceptional paternal occupational exposure to EMF is at best only weakly associated with a risk of childhood brain tumors. However, the findings for paternal welding are somewhat intriguing since relatively strong EMF have been measured in association with welding. Further study of welding as a potential risk factor is required since welders may be exposed to a wide range of toxic agents in addition to EMF.

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 typecase_control

Effect directionmixed

Populationoffspring of men occupationally exposed to EMF

Sample size260

Exposureone-year period prior to conception

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 40% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

childhood brain tumors

Limitations

Exposure inferred from job titles, not direct measurement
Small sample size for welding subgroup
Potential confounding from other toxic agents in welding

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "case_control",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "occupational EMF",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "one-year period prior to conception"
  },
  "population": "offspring of men occupationally exposed to EMF",
  "sample_size": 260,
  "outcomes": [
    "childhood brain tumors"
  ],
  "main_findings": "The study found very small increases in risk of childhood brain tumors associated with paternal occupational EMF exposure prior to conception (OR 1.12 to 1.31). A notably elevated odds ratio was found for paternal welding exposure (OR 3.8, 95% CI 0.95-15.55).",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure inferred from job titles, not direct measurement",
    "Small sample size for welding subgroup",
    "Potential confounding from other toxic agents in welding"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.4,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "occupational exposure",
    "EMF",
    "childhood brain tumors",
    "paternal exposure",
    "welding"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Study focuses on occupational EMF exposure and brain tumor risk."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.5271/sjweh.151
PubMed: 8923606

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