Study Finds No Link Between Electromagnetic Fields and Breast Cancer

A large, sophisticated New York study has found no evidence that electromagnetic fields (EMF) from household wiring, appliances and power lines cause breast cancer.

"We collected a huge amount of data and we turned it upside down and looked at it from every possible angle, and we didn't see anything" to link electric fields to breast cancer, said Dr. M. Cristina Leske, a professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University Hospital.

In their study of 576 women with breast cancer and 585 healthy women, Leske found no link between the disease and residential exposure to electromagnetic fields.

Researchers said the findings should be comforting to women concerned that living near power lines or other sources of electromagnetic fields might raise the risk of breast cancer.

"It is good news," said Leske, whose report appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

While the ionizing radiation given off by sources like X-rays can damage body cells, the health effects of non-ionizing radiation -- given off by computers, cell phones, power lines, broadcast towers and a host of other sources -- has been unclear and remains controversial.

Results from the study are a setback for a group of women whose activism persuaded Congress 10 years ago to allocate $30 million for a study that sought to explain the high rate of breast cancer on Long Island, NY.

Other Sources: American Journal of Epidemiology