RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Leukaemia, brain tumours and exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields: cohort study of Swiss railway employees
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 553
OP 559
DO 10.1136/oem.2006.030270
VO 64
IS 8
A1 Martin Röösli
A1 Manfred Lörtscher
A1 Matthias Egger
A1 Dominik Pfluger
A1 Nadja Schreier
A1 Emanuel Lörtscher
A1 Peter Locher
A1 Adrian Spoerri
A1 Christoph Minder
YR 2007
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/64/8/553.abstract
AB Aims: To investigate the relationship between extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure and mortality from leukaemia and brain tumour in a cohort of Swiss railway workers. Methods: 20 141 Swiss railway employees with 464 129 person-years of follow-up between 1972 and 2002 were studied. Mortality rates for leukaemia and brain tumour of highly exposed train drivers (21 μT average annual exposure) were compared with medium and low exposed occupational groups (i.e. station masters with an average exposure of 1 μT). In addition, individual cumulative exposure was calculated from on-site measurements and modelling of past exposures. Results: The hazard ratio (HR) for leukaemia mortality of train drivers was 1.43 (95% CI 0.74 to 2.77) compared with station masters. For myeloid leukaemia the HR of train drivers was 4.74 (95% CI 1.04 to 21.60) and for Hodgkin’s disease 3.29 (95% CI 0.69 to 15.63). Lymphoid leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s disease and brain tumour mortality were not associated with magnetic field exposure. Concordant results were obtained from analyses based on individual cumulative exposure. Conclusions: Some evidence of an exposure–response association was found for myeloid leukaemia and Hodgkin’s disease, but not for other haematopoietic and lymphatic malignancies and brain tumours.