Adult Cancer Related to Electrical Wires Near the Home

Abstract

Like childhood cancer, adult cancer was found to be associated with high-current electrical wiring configurations (HCCs) near the patient's residence. Such wiring can expose occupants of the residence to alternating magnetic fields (AMFs) at a level which, though very low, may produce physiological effects. Several patterns in the data suggest that HCCs and cancer may be causally linked: (1) a dose-relationship was found. (2) The association did not appear to be an artefact of age, urbanicity, neighbourhood, or socioeconomic level. (3) The association was most clearly demonstrable where cancer caused by urban/industrial factors was least apt to obscure the effect. (4) A distinct pattern of latency between first exposure to the HCC and cancer diagnosis was seen, which is consistent with a hypothesis of cancer promotion produced by AMF exposure.