 |  |  | | | CHILDHOOD LEUKAEMIA AND POWERLINES | | | | |
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Release Date: 3rd June 2005
LEUKAEMIA RESEARCH STATEMENT
Leukaemia Research recognises that there is a lot of public anxiety and concern about the possible adverse health affects of living close to pylons and exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields in the home. Indeed, we supported an in depth investigation which examined this issue in children diagnosed with cancer during the 1990s – the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS).
The authors of the recent paper published in the British Medical Journal, Friday 3rd June 2005 (Draper et al), linked childhood leukaemia to living near high voltage powerlines, but stated that their findings were not conclusive and acknowledged that they may be due to chance. They also noted that, even if causal, their results could explain no more than 1 in 100 cases of childhood leukaemia. Importantly, the study only looked at mother's address at the time of the child's birth, and no information on actual measurements within homes, or distances from low-voltage lines, cables or substations was included.
By contrast, UKCCS researchers carried out a series a thorough analyses relating to measured electro-magnetic fields (EMF) in homes, as well as distance of homes from all forms of electricity supply equipment – high voltage power-lines, low-voltage power-lines, underground cables and sub-stations. They found no evidence to support the suggestion that these exposures were associated with leukaemia, or any other form of childhood cancer in the UK.
UKCCS investigators also collaborated in a pooled analysis of studies from around the world, which revealed the possibility that a doubling of risk of leukaemia in children in homes at high levels of exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields (> 0.4 microtesla) might exist. Such levels are uncommon in the UK (around 0.4% of homes), and whilst the UKCCS provided more cases to the pooled analysis than any other study, its contribution to the high exposure category was minimal.
Leukaemia Research is committed to resolving this and are continuing our research examining into the causes of childhood leukaemia. The Draper report authors specifically comment that there is no reason why anyone should be advised to move house based on these results.
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