Magnetic fields and breast cancer in Swedish adults residing near high-voltage power lines.
We conducted a case-control study to test the hypothesis that residential magnetic field exposures increase the incidence of breast cancer. The study was based on people who had lived within 300 m of 220- or 400-kV power lines in Sweden at any time between 1960 and 1985. We identified 699 cases of breast cancer in women and 9 cases in men. One matched control per female case and eight per male case were selected at random. Estrogen receptor information was available for a subset of female cases. We assessed magnetic field exposure through calculations of the magnetic fields generated by the power lines before diagnosis. For calculated magnetic field levels > or = 0.2 microtesla (microT) closest in times before diagnosis, we estimated the relative risk to be 1.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.7-1.5] for women and 2.1 (95% CI = 0.3-14.1) for men. Women younger than 50 years of age at diagnosis had a relative risk of 1.8 (95% CI = 0.7-4.3). For women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, the relative risk was estimated at 1.6 (95% CI = 0.6-4.1), using the exposure cutoff point > or = 0.1 microT. Among estrogen receptor-positive women younger than 50 years at diagnosis, the relative risk increased to 7.4 (95% CI = 1.0-178.1).
Feychting
M
M
Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, stockholm, Sweden.
Forssén
U
U
Rutqvist
L E
LE
Ahlbom
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D018567:Breast Neoplasms, Male / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015984:Causality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012306:Risk; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen