title: Electric Blanket Use and Risk of Thyroid Cancer in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort.
abstract: Thyroid cancer disproportionally affects more women than men. The aim of this study was to assess whether exposure to extremely low frequency electric magnetic fields from electric blankets (EBs) was associated with the development of thyroid cancer. Data were analyzed from 89,527 women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study and who responded to questions concerning prior use of EBs. During a mean follow-up of 12.2 years, 190 incident cases of thyroid cancer were identified. We estimated the hazard ratio (HR) and 95 percent confidence interval (CI) of incident thyroid cancer associated with EB use by Cox's proportional hazard model, adjusted for selected covariates. A majority, 57 percent, of the women in the cohort reported the use of EBs while sleeping and/or for warming the bed before sleep. No association was found between use of EBs and subsequent risk of thyroid cancer (HR = 0.98, 95 percent CI 0.72-1.32). Duration of EB use measured in years, months, or hours had no effect on risk. These results did not change when the cases were limited to papillary thyroid cancer, the most frequently occurring histologic type. The results of this study do not support possible health hazards of EBs in regards to thyroid cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Oncology and Pathology , Wayne State University School of Medicine , Detroit , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: b Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle , Washington , USA.
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: b Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center , Seattle , Washington , USA.
authors.forename: Jingmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Oncology , Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University , Detroit , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.affiliation: c Department of Oncology , Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University , Detroit , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Cathryn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.affiliation: c Department of Oncology , Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University , Detroit , Michigan , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001512:Bedding and Linens; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D017698:Postmenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: cohort study; electromagnetic field; postmenopausal women; thyroid cancer