[EMF-Link] [ HomePage | Search | What's New | Comments | Up One Level ] Questions and Answers About EMF Electric and Magnetic Fields Associated with the Use of Electrical Power. January 1995. Human Health Studies ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Is there any evidence that EMF exposure increases the risk of breast cancer?

A. There is some epidemiological evidence for an association between EMF exposure and breast cancer, but studies have also reported evidence to the contrary. A 1994 study (Loomis et al.) examined death records of female workers and found that women employed in electrical occupations were slightly more likely to have died of breast cancer than were other working women. However, because the study could not control for factors such as diet, fertility, and family history (which are known to affect breast cancer risk), the results were considered to be preliminary, not conclusive.

A 1994 Danish study found no association between occupational EMF exposure and female breast cancer. Several studies have reported an increased risk of breast cancer among men employed in EMF-related occupations. However, the 1994 study of electrical workers in Canada and France reported no such association. Several large scale studies are now under way in the United States and in other countries to see if women living in homes with higher EMF exposures have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The reason for the recent interest in EMFs and breast cancer has less to do with epidemiology than with biology - laboratory evidence concerning the role of EMFs and melatonin in the development and suppression of breast cancer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Home Page] Copyright (c) 1994-1996, Information Ventures, Inc. EMF-Link@infoventures.com http://infoventures.com