Premium
Extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields and risk of childhood leukemia: A risk assessment by the ARIMMORA consortium
Author(s) -
Schüz Joachim,
Dasenbrock Clemens,
Ravazzani Paolo,
Röösli Martin,
Schär Primo,
Bounds Patricia L.,
Erdmann Friederike,
Borkhardt Arndt,
Cobaleda César,
Fedrowitz Maren,
Hamnerius Yngve,
SanchezGarcia Isidro,
Seger Rony,
Schmiegelow Kjeld,
Ziegelberger Gunde,
Capstick Myles,
Manser Melissa,
Müller Meike,
Schmid Christoph D.,
Schürmann David,
Struchen Benjamin,
Kuster Niels
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/bem.21963
Subject(s) - international agency , childhood leukemia , environmental health , risk assessment , exposure assessment , childhood leukaemia , hazard , leukemia , medicine , childhood cancer , carcinogen , epidemiology , environmental epidemiology , cancer , pathology , biology , immunology , genetics , pediatrics , computer science , ecology , lymphoblastic leukemia , computer security
Exposure to extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields (ELF‐MF) was evaluated in an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in 2001, based on increased childhood leukemia risk observed in epidemiological studies. We conducted a hazard assessment using available scientific evidence published before March 2015, with inclusion of new research findings from the Advanced Research on Interaction Mechanisms of electroMagnetic exposures with Organisms for Risk Assessment (ARIMMORA) project. The IARC Monograph evaluation scheme was applied to hazard identification. In ARIMMORA for the first time, a transgenic mouse model was used to mimic the most common childhood leukemia: new pathogenic mechanisms were indicated, but more data are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Although experiments in different animal strains showed exposure‐related decreases of CD8+ T‐cells, a role in carcinogenesis must be further established. No direct damage of DNA by exposure was observed. Overall in the literature, there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals, with only weak supporting evidence from mechanistic studies. New exposure data from ARIMMORA confirmed that if the association is nevertheless causal, up to 2% of childhood leukemias in Europe, as previously estimated, may be attributable to ELF‐MF. In summary, ARIMMORA concludes that the relationship between ELF‐MF and childhood leukemia remains consistent with possible carcinogenicity in humans. While this scientific uncertainty is dissatisfactory for science and public health, new mechanistic insight from ARIMMORA experiments points to future research that could provide a step‐change in future assessments. Bioelectromagnetics. 37:183–189, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.