Abstract

Overview

The study investigates the relationship between maternal exposure to magnetic fields (MF) nonionizing radiation during pregnancy and subsequent development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their offspring.

Importance

Previous animal and human studies indicated potential links between MF nonionizing radiation exposure during pregnancy and higher risks of ADHD in children.

Objectives

• Examine if high MF nonionizing radiation levels affect the risk of ADHD.
• Analyze if these impacts vary among ADHD subtypes with or without immune-related comorbidities.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The research utilized a longitudinal birth cohort at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, involving 1482 mother-child pairs, where MF exposure was assessed through two specific time intervals during the pregnancies of participants between 1996-1998 and 2006-2012.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Data included physician-diagnosed ADHD, occurrences of immune-related comorbidities (asthma, atopic dermatitis), captured from electronic medical records.

Results

Children whose mothers faced higher MF exposure had more than double the ADHD risk compared to lower exposure; risks were notably higher for ADHD cases persisting into adolescence and ADHD with immune-related conditions.

Conclusions and Relevance

The study underscores potential detrimental effects of high MF exposure in utero on offspring's risk of ADHD, especially forms coupled with immune complications, advocating for extensive future research into this link.