Since the first report, suggesting an association between residential electric and magnetic fields and childhood cancer, notably leukaemia, was published in 1979, dozens of studies have examined this association. Overall, for the vast majority of children who are exposed to residential ELF magnetic fields less than 0.4 microtesla, there is little evidence of any increased risk for leukaemia. There is no evidence that electric fields are associated with childhood leukaemia, and there is no consistent relationship between childhood brain tumours or other childhood solid tumours and residential ELF electric and magnetic fields. However, pooled analyses of data from a number of well-conducted studies show a fairly consistent statistical association between childhood leukaemia and power-frequency residential magnetic field strengths above 0.4 microtesla, with an approximately two-fold increase in risk. This is unlikely to be due to chance, but may be affected by selection bias. Therefore this association between childhood leukemia and high residential magnetic field strengths was judged limited evidence for excess cancer risk in exposed humans.
There is no consistent evidence that residential or occupational exposures of adults are related to excess risks of cancer at any site, although in one Swedish study combined residential and occupational exposures were associated with a significantly increased risk for all leukaemia subtypes except chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Evidence for excess cancer risks of all other kinds, in children and in adults, as a result of exposure to ELF electric and magnetic fields was considered inadequate.
