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Registry of Buildings With Transformer Stations as a Basis for Epidemiological Studies on Health Effects of Extremely Low‐Frequency Magnetic Fields
Author(s) -
Khan Muhammad Waseem,
Juutilainen Jukka,
Roivainen Päivi
Publication year - 2020
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.22228
Subject(s) - apartment , bioelectromagnetics , extremely low frequency , transformer , environmental health , engineering , forensic engineering , medicine , civil engineering , electrical engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , voltage , magnetic field , electromagnetic field
Buildings with indoor transformer stations may serve as a basis for improved epidemiological studies on the health effects of extremely low‐frequency magnetic fields (ELF MFs). Previous studies have shown that ELF MF exposure can be adequately assessed based on the fact that MF levels are high in apartments directly above transformers. In this paper, we describe the creation of a registry of Finnish residential buildings with built‐in transformer stations and discuss its usability in epidemiological studies. Information obtained from electric utilities and building blueprints were used to identify 677 buildings in which an apartment was located above or adjacent to a transformer station. All apartments in these buildings were classified into exposure categories based on their location in relation to the transformer. Residential histories of these buildings were obtained from the Population Register Centre. Out of the 287,668 individuals who have resided in the buildings, 9,126 of them have resided in an apartment located directly above a transformer station. All information was collected without contacting residents, thus avoiding selection bias. The registry can be linked with data from high‐quality nationwide registries to confirm or challenge the reported associations of ELF MF exposure and diseases such as cancer, miscarriage, and Alzheimer's disease. Bioelectromagnetics. 2020;41:34–40 © 2019 Bioelectromagnetics Society.