Power Lines and Cancer FAQs: Introduction

• This FAQ is derived from an FAQ of the same name that was developed in the sci.med.physics newsgroup of USENET in the early 90's.
• El documento "Preguntas y respuestas sobre líneas eléctricas y cáncer" está disponible en español.
• This document is available in Chinese at: http://www.ym.edu.tw/rad/powerline/main.htm
• There are two related FAQs:
  • Cell Phone Base Antennas and Human Health FAQs
    http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-FAQ/toc.html
  • Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer FAQs
    http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/static-fields-cancer-FAQ/toc.html
• This FAQ was designed with Netscape Navigator v4 and for conformation with HTML 4.0 transitional.

Questions and Answers

1. Is there a concern about power lines and cancer?
2. What is the difference between the electromagnetic (EM) energy associated with power lines and other forms of electromagnetic energy such as microwaves or x-rays?
3. Why do different types of electromagnetic energy sources produce different biological effects?
4. What is difference between electromagnetic radiation and electromagnetic fields?
5. Do power lines produce electromagnetic radiation?
6. How do ionizing electromagnetic energy sources cause biological effects?
7. How do radio-frequency and microwave sources cause biological effects?
8. How do the power-frequency electromagnetic fields cause biological effects?
9. Do non-ionizing electromagnetic energy sources cause non-thermal as well as thermal effects?
10. What sort of power-frequency fields are common in residences and work places?
11. Can power-frequency fields in homes and work places be reduced?
12. What is known about the relationship between power lines and cancer rates?
13. How big is the "cancer risk" associated with living next to a power line?
    1. What is the risk of cancer in general?
    2. What is the risk of childhood leukemia?
14. How close do you have to be to a power line to be considered exposed to power-frequency fields?
15. What is known about the relationship between "electrical occupations" and cancer rates?
16. Do laboratory studies indicate that power-frequency fields can cause cancer?
    1. Do power-frequency fields show genotoxic activity in humans?
    2. Do power-frequency fields cause cancer in animals?
    3. Do power-frequency fields show genotoxic activity in cell culture?
    4. Do power-frequency magnetic fields cause or enhance neoplastic cell transformation?
    5. Are power-frequency magnetic fields cancer promoters?
    6. Do power-frequency magnetic fields enhance the effects of other genotoxic agents?
    7. Could power-frequency electric rather than magnetic fields have genotoxic or epigenetic activity?
17. Do laboratory studies indicate that power-frequency fields have any biological effects that might be relevant to cancer?
    1. How do laboratory studies of the effects of power-frequency fields on cell and tumor growth relate to the question of cancer risk?
    2. How do laboratory studies of the effects of power-frequency fields on immune function relate to the question of cancer risk?
    3. How do laboratory studies of the effects of power-frequency fields on the pineal gland and melatonin relate to the question of cancer risk?
18. Do power-frequency fields show any reproducible biological effects in laboratory studies?
    1. Do power-frequency fields of the intensity encountered in occupational and residential settings show reproducible biological effects?
    2. Are there known mechanisms by which power-frequency fields of the intensity encountered in occupational and residential settings could cause biological effects?
    3. Have new mechanisms been proposed that could explain how power-frequency fields could cause biological effects?
    4. Could the presence of transients or higher-order harmonics in power-frequency fields provide a biophysical mechanism for biological effects?
19. What about the "new studies" showing a link between power-frequency fields and cancer?
    1. What about the European (Scandinavian) epidemiological studies showing a link between power lines and cancer?
    2. What about the new studies showing a link between occupational exposure to power-frequency fields and cancer?
    3. What about the new studies showing a link between power-frequency fields and breast cancer?
    4. What about the new studies showing a link between pulsed electric fields and lung cancer?
    5. What about the new studies linking the use of electrical appliances with cancer?
    6. Have Sweden and/or Denmark decided to regulate power line fields?
    7. What about the study showing that it is the interaction between power-frequency fields and the Earth's static field that causes cancer?
    8. What about the 1997 NCI study showing no link between power lines and childhood leukemia?
    10. What about the 1999 Canadian studies of power lines and childhood leukemia?
    11. What about the 1999-2000 UK studies of power lines and childhood leukemia?
    12. Could exposure to power-frequency electric rather than magnetic fields be linked with cancer?
20. What criteria do scientists use to evaluate the laboratory and epidemiologic studies of power-frequency fields and cancer?
    1. How strong is the association between exposure to power-frequency fields and the risk of cancer?
    2. How consistent are the studies of associations between exposure to power-frequency fields and the risk of cancer?
    3. Is there a dose-response relationship between exposure to power-frequency fields and the risk of cancer?
    4. Is there laboratory evidence for an association between exposure to power-frequency fields and the risk of cancer?
    5. Are there plausible biological mechanisms that suggest an association between exposure to power-frequency fields and the risk of cancer?
21. If exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields does not explain the residential and occupations studies which show increased cancer incidence, what other factors could?
    1. Could problems with dose assessment affect the validity of the epidemiologic studies of power-frequency fields and cancer?
    2. Are there other cancer risk factors that could be causing a false association between exposure to power-frequency fields and cancer?
    3. Could the epidemiologic studies of power-frequency fields and cancer be biased by the methods used to select control groups?
    4. Could analysis of the epidemiologic studies of power-frequency fields and cancer be skewed by publication bias?
    5. Could analysis of the epidemiologic studies of power-frequency fields and cancer be biased by multiple-comparison artifacts?
    6. Does the evidence that childhood leukemia has an infectious basis mean that the weak association sometimes seen between power-frequency fields and childhood leukemia is an artifact?
22. What is the strongest evidence for a connection between power-frequency fields and cancer?
23. What is the strongest evidence against a connection between power-frequency fields and cancer?
24. What studies are needed to resolve the "cancer-EMF" issue?
25. Is there any evidence that power-frequency fields cause any effects on human health, such as miscarriages, birth defects, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, suicide or sleep disorders?
26. What are some good overview articles?
27. Are there exposure guidelines for power-frequency fields?
    1. What are the guidelines for power-frequency field exposure of the general public?
    2. What are the guidelines for occupational power-frequency field exposure?
    3. Are there special exposure guidelines for people with cardiac pacemakers?
    4. Was a US government agency about to recommend strict limits on occupational and residential exposure to power-frequency fields?
    5. What does the 1996 report from the U.S. National Research Council say?
    6. Does a 1998 report from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) say that power-frequency fields are a "possible" carcinogen?
    7. What does the 1999 report from the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to the US Congress say about power-frequency fields and cancer?
    8. What does the 2001 report from the U.K. National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB) say about power-frequency fields and cancer?
28. What effect do power lines have on property values?
29. What equipment do you need to measure power-frequency magnetic fields?
30. How are power-frequency magnetic fields measured?
31. Do the issues discussed in this FAQ sheet apply to electromagnetic sources other than power-frequency fields?
    1. Low-frequency fields other than sinusoidal power-frequency fields
    2. Static electric and magnetic fields
    3. Radio-frequency and microwave radiation
32. What about the claim that exposure to radon and other chemical carcinogens is increased by the presence of high-strength electric fields.
33. What about the reports that some people are sensitive to (allergic to) the presence of electromagnetic fields?
34. Should I buy a house next to a power line?

Annotated Bibliography

1. Reviews of the Biological and Health Effects of Power-Frequency Fields
2. Reviews of the Epidemiology of Exposure to Power-Frequency Fields
3. Epidemiology of Residential Exposure to Power-Frequency Fields
4. Epidemiology of Occupational Exposure to Power-Frequency Fields
5. Human Studies Related to Power-Frequency Exposure and Cancer
6. Biophysics and Dosimetry of Power-Frequency Fields
7. Laboratory Studies of Power-Frequency Fields and Cancer
8. Laboratory Studies Indirectly Related to Power-Frequency Fields and Cancer
10. Studies of Power-Frequency Fields and Reproductive Toxicity
11. Reviews of Laboratory Studies of Power-Frequency Fields
12. Miscellaneous Items
13. Regulations and Standards for Ionizing and Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Energy Sources.

Source: www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/powerlines-cancer-FAQ/toc.html

Revision notes

• A review of previous meta-analyses of childhood leukemia and residence near powerlines [B20].
• A review of previous studies of breast cancer and exposure to power-frequency fields [B21].
• A study of human volunteers found no effects of power-frequency field exposure on melatonin [E25].
• A report that strong power-frequency fields had some effects on growth of human blood cells, but there was no evidence that they caused or enhanced genetic injury [G102].
• A report that exposure to a strong power-frequency field had no effect on the progression of leukemia in an animal model [G103].
• A report that very strong power-frequency fields did not cause DNA strand breaks, but did enhance the level of breaks caused by high doses of ionizing radiation [G104].
• A report that life-time exposure to power-frequency fields did not increase the incidence of cancer induced in mice by ionizing radiation [G105].

(v6.8.0, Mar-2001):

• A review of power-frequency fields and cancer from the UK NRPB [A20] is reviewed in a new Q27H.
• A review of electric and magnetic field exposure and brain cancer [B19].
• An epidemiological study of childhood leukemia and exposure to power-line fields from Germany [C59].
• A report that power-frequency fields have neither genotoxic nor epigenetic activity [G101].

(v6.7.5, Jan-2001):

• Updated information on the IARC classification scheme for carcinogens in Q27F.
• A report [D42] that "Electricians and electrical and electronics workers" do not have elevated risks of malignant brain tumors.
• Magnetic fields could produce effects on free radical reactions at field strengths as low as 1000-2000 microT [F37].
• A report [J20] that mouse follicular (egg) cells exposed to pulsed fields at 1500 microT have abnormal growth and development after 4-5 days of exposure.
• Interference with a cardiac pacemaker could occur for 60-Hz fields as low as 5700 V/m [L48].
• A report [G99] that power-frequency fields of up to 2500 microT have no consistent genotoxic or epigenetic effects on human cells, that they do not cause DNA strand breaks, and that they do no effect on cell growth.
• A report [G100] that 2000 microT power frequency fields have no effect on breast cancer growth and do not modify the effect of x-rays on breast tumor growth.
• A further critique [H61] of the Henshaw/Fews hypotheses.

Acknowledgments

This FAQ sheet owes much to the many readers of USENET who have sent me comments and suggestions over the years.

Initial conversion of the FAQ into html was done by Bob Mueller and Dennis Taylor of the General Clinical Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and server space for these documents is provided by the General Clinical Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Notice

This FAQ was written by Dr. John E. Moulder, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Pharmacology/Toxicology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Moulder has taught, lectured and written on the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation and electromagnetic fields for over two decades.

This FAQ is Copyright©, 1993-2001, by John E. Moulder, Ph.D. and the Medical College of Wisconsin, and is made available as a service to the Internet community. Portions of this FAQ are derived from the following articles, and are covered by the Copyrights on those articles:

• JE Moulder and KR Foster: Biological effects of power-frequency fields as they relate to carcinogenesis. Proc Soc Exp Med Biol 209:309-324, 1995.
• JE Moulder: Biological studies of power-frequency fields and carcinogenesis. IEEE Eng Med Biol 15 (July/Aug):31-49, 1996.
• KR Foster, LS Erdreich, JE Moulder: Weak electromagnetic fields and cancer in the context of risk assessment. Proc IEEE 85:733-746, 1997.
• JE Moulder: Power-frequency fields and cancer. Crit Rev Biomed Engineering 26:1-116, 1998.
• JE Moulder: Une approache biomédicale: le point de vue d'un chercheur en cancérologie. In: J Lambrozo, I Le Bis (Eds), Champs Électriques et Magnétique de Très Basse Fréquency: Electricité de France, 1998.
• JE Moulder KR Foster: Is there a link between exposure to power-frequency electric fields and cancer? IEEE Eng Med Biol 18(2):109-116, 1999.
• JE Moulder: The Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and Public Information Dissemination (EMF-RAPID) Program. Radiat Res 153:613-616, 2000.
• JE Moulder: The controversy over powerlines and cancer, III Jornadas sobre Líneas Eléctricas y Medio Ambiente, Red Eléctrica de España, Madrid, 2000, pp. 159-168.