Verkannte Gefahr "Elektrosmog" - Leser

IARC finds limited evidence that residential magnetic fields increase

Dear Colleagues:
A panel convened by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that power frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are possible human carcinogens.
In doing so, the panel has agreed with previous evaluations by committees assembled by the U.S. and the U.K. governments. In 1998, a working group of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) also classified EMFs as possible carcinogens, a decision reaffirmed the following year in NIEHS' report to the U.S. Congress. Earlier this year,an advisory group to U.K. government, chaired by Sir Richard Doll, also pointed to a possible leukemia risk among children. Over ten years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a similar conclusion that report was never officially completed and published, however, due to intense political pressure from electrical utilities and the military.

A copy of the IARC press release, which was released earlier today,
Appears below. Microwave News will feature complete coverage of the IARC
Evaluation in our July/August issue which will be published in mid-August.

Best, Louis Slesin Editor

Risk of childhood Leukaemia
Press Release, Lyons, France June 27, 2001

An expert scientific working group of the Monographs Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded its review of health effects of static and extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields. Such fields include the earth's magnetic field, and also originate from electrical power transmission lines, electrical wiring in buildings, and electric appliances. Magnetic fields are measured in units of microTesla; the earth's static magnetic field, to which everyone is exposed, varies from 25 microTesla at the equator to 65 microTesla at the poles. Most research on health effects has been done on ELF magnetic fields with frequencies of 50 or 60 Hz.

Reports were first published in 1979 that childhood cancer might be associated with exposures to residential ELF fields. Numerous studies in many countries have been undertaken since then of possible increased cancer risks in children and adults from ELF magnetic field exposures. Special attention has focussed on leukaemia and on brain tumours, which early reports had suggested might be increased. IARC has now concluded that ELF magnetic fields are possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on consistent statistical associations of high level residential magnetic fields with a doubling of risk of childhood leukaemia. Children who are exposed to residential ELF magnetic fields less than 0.4 microTesla have no increased risk for leukaemia. Because of insufficient data, static magnetic fields and static and extremely low frequency electric fields could not be classified as to carcinogenic risk to humans. However, pooled analyses of data from a number of well-conducted studies show a fairly consistent statistical association between a doubling of risk of childhood leukaemia and power-frequency (50 or 60 Hz) residential ELF magnetic field strengths above 0.4 microTesla. In contrast, no consistent evidence was found that childhood exposures to ELF electric or magnetic fields are associated with brain tumours or any other kinds of solid tumours. No consistent evidence was found that residential or occupational exposures of adults to ELF magnetic fields increase risk for any kind of cancer.

Studies in experimental animals have not shown a consistent carcinogenic or co-carcinogenic effects of exposures to ELF magnetic fields, and no scientific explanation has been established for the observed association of increased childhood leukaemia risk with increasing residential ELF magnetic field exposure. Health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, which are produced by such sources as radio and television transmission towers, portable telephones, and radar, were not evaluated by the IARC
working group. These exposures will be reviewed by the IARC Monographs
Programme when research that is currently in progress has been published, most likely in 2005.
For further details of the Monographs evaluation, consult
http://monographs.iarc.fr, under "Agents most recently evaluated," or inquire by e-mail to cie@iarc.fr. For further details of current research at IARC on electric and magnetic fields, inquire by e-mail to cardis@iarc.fr. For more general information, contact: Dr Nicolas Gaudin, Chief, Communications (gaudin@iarc.fr ).

Louis Slesin, PhD
Editor, Microwave News
A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation
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