ID Number		1423
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		ELF exposure from overhead transmission lines and correlations with female breast cancer
Details		In an initial study, Swedish women lived within 300 meters of high voltage transmission lines were evaluated for breast cancer (n = 20,400 cases, 116,227 controls) from the Swedish cancer registry to look for correlations with average residential and occupational magnetic field exposure. The authors report a significant correlation (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 0.5-18.9) for women exposed to 0.25 uT or more. Exposure assessment was based on calculations. In a subsequent analysis from the same data pool (2005) where exposure assessment was based on actual magnetic field measurements, however, no correlation was observed (OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.93-1.10) in women exposed to 0.30 uT or more. The authors concluded that the findings did not support the hypothesis that magnetic fields influence the risk of female breast cancer. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Palmquist et al. 2013 (IEEE #5318): Environmental intolerance (EI) is characterized by attribution of several, multisystem symptoms to specific environmental exposures, such as exposure to odorous/pungent chemicals, certain buildings, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and everyday sounds. The symptoms are medically unexplained, non-specific and the symptoms overlap between different types of EI. To approach the issue of underlying mechanisms the matter of overlap in prevalence between intolerances can provide valuable information. The aim of the study was to examine if the overlap between intolerance to odorous/pungent chemicals, certain buildings, EMFs and sounds is larger than the expected overlap if no association would exist between them. The study was using cross-sectional data from the Västerbotten Environmental Health Study in Sweden; a large questionnaire-based survey. 8520 adults (1879 years) were randomly selected after stratification for age and sex, of whom 3406 (40%) participated. Individuals with the four types of intolerance were identified either through self-report, or by having been physician-diagnosed with a specific EI. The overlaps between the four EIs were greater than predictions based on coincidence for both self-reported and diagnosed cases (except for the overlap between diagnosed intolerance to sounds and EMFs). The results raise the question whether different types of EI share similar underlying mechanisms, or at least that the sufferers of EI share some predisposition to acquire the conditions.
Findings		No Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden - ulla.forssen@imm.ki.se
Funding Agency		Research Council, Sweden
Country		SWEDEN
References		Forssen, UM et al. Epidemiology, (2000) 11:24-29 Forssen, UM et al. Am J Epidemiol, (2005) 161:250-259 Palmquist, E et al. Int J Hyg Environ Health. , (2014) 217:427-434
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