Do electric and magnetic fields cause childhood leukaemia?

Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) surround us in modern life and have been blamed for a wide range of adverse health effects.

A great deal of research has been carried out, with mixed results. The largest body of evidence perhaps relates to childhood leukaemia.

The first epidemiological study linking childhood leukaemia and exposure to EMF was published in 1979.

More than 25 further studies have since investigated this association.

The most recent study to be included in our report, the ‘Draper Study’, was published in the British Medical Journal in 2005*. It is the largest single study of childhood cancer and power lines. The authors reported an increased risk of leukaemia in children whose birth address fell within 600 metres of a high voltage power line. Further work is being carried out, by the authors of this study, as well as others, to validate these results.

There remains a wide spectrum of opinion within the scientific community as to the meaning of the results of the epidemiological studies. Some query whether the results are real or a reflection of problems with study design.

In any event, it is difficult to infer causal relationships based on epidemiological studies alone. There is a growing body of evidence relating to the biology underlying the effects of EMF. This should help to further our understanding of the relationship between EMF exposure and childhood leukaemia.

We published the report "Do electric and magnetic fields cause childhood leukaemia?" in 2005. It reviews the scientific evidence relating to electric and magnetic fields and their role in the development of childhood leukaemia. 

Co-author Dr Adrienne Morgan was awarded runner-up for Parliamentary Science Writer of the Year for this review.  

 "Do electric and magnetic fields cause childhood leukaemia?" (870kb. New window will open)

*Draper G, Vincent T, Kroll ME, Swanson J. 2005. Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: a case-control study. BMJ; 330 (7503): 1290.

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