IARC Eyes Magnetic Field Exposure

Group Finds Limited Evidence of Link to Childhood Leukemia

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently convened an expert working group at its headquarters in Lyon, France, to evaluate the possible cancer risks of human exposure to power frequency magnetic fields.

	Dr. David L. McCormick, vice president and director of IITRI's Life Sciences Group, chaired the animal carcinogenicity panel at the IARC meeting.

Participants included an international group of researchers working in the fields of carcinogenesis, toxicology, epidemiology, electromagnetics, engineering, and physics. Dr. David L. McCormick, vice president and director of IITRI's Life Sciences Group, was invited to chair the animal carcinogenicity panel at the IARC meeting.

The Working Group concluded that there is limited evidence to support a relationship between exposure to 50/60 Hz magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. The group found the scientific data was insufficient to support a link between exposure to magnetic fields and other childhood tumors, or tumors in any site in adults. The Working Group also concluded that the results of carcinogenesis bioassays did not support a linkage between magnetic field exposure and cancer in experimental animals.

The complete evaluation will be published in early 2002 as a volume in the series, "IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans." A summary of the findings of the Working Group is currently available on the IARC website.