Most of the concern about power lines and cancer stems from studies of people living near power lines (Q12) and people working in "electrical" occupations (Q15). Some of these studies appear to show a weak association between exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields and the incidence of cancer.
However, epidemiological studies done in recent years show little evidence that power lines are associated with an increase in cancer (Q19A and Q19B, Q19H thru Q19K), laboratory studies have shown little evidence of a link between power-frequency fields and cancer (Q16), and a connection between power line fields and cancer remains biophysically implausible (Q18).
A 1996 review by a prominent group of scientists at the U.S. National Academy of Science concluded that:
"No conclusive and consistent evidence shows that exposures to residential electric and magnetic fields produce cancer, adverse neurobehavioral effects, or reproductive and developmental effects."(Q27E).
A 1999 review by the U.S. National Institutes of Health concluded that:
"The scientific evidence suggesting that [power-frequency electromagnetic field] exposures pose any health risk is weak."(Q27G).
A 2001 review by the U.K. National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB) concluded that:
"Laboratory experiments have provided no good evidence that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields are capable of producing cancer, nor do human epidemiological studies suggest that they cause cancer in general." (Q27H)
A review of the epidemiological literature by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection [B22] concludes that:
"In the absence of evidence from cellular or animal studies, and given the methodological uncertainties and in may cases inconsistencies of the existing epidemiologic literature, there is no chronic disease for which an etiological [causal] relation to [power-frequency fields] can be regarded as established".
The largest studies of childhood leukemia and power lines ever done reported in 1997-2000 that they could find no significant evidence for an association of power lines with childhood leukemia (Q19H through 19K). In contrast, a pair of studies published in 2000 [C54, C57] reported that if all the studies in which magnetic fields could be measured or estimated were pooled, a statistically significant association could be found for childhood leukemia in the children with the highest average fields.
On the other hand, a series of studies have shown what life-time exposure of animals to power-frequency magnetic fields does not cause cancer (Q16B).
Overall, most scientists consider the evidence that power line fields cause or contribute to cancer to be weak.
