Abstract

Overview

The meta-analysis re-evaluates the association between parental occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and the risk of childhood nervous system tumors, originally suggested by prior epidemiological studies.

Methods

• Identification of relevant studies utilized PubMed, Web of Science databases, and manual searching methods.
• Data were aggregated using fixed or random-effects models to determine summary odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Findings

This study included 22 studies (21 case-control and 1 cohort study) on the topic. It found:

• Overall Increased Risk: Parental occupational exposure to ELF-MF was found to be associated with a higher risk of nervous system tumors in children.
• Mother's Exposure: Maternal exposure seemed to significantly impact the risk factor (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.26).
• Father’s Exposure: No significant findings were observed from paternal exposure.

Conclusion

While there is limited evidence linking maternal occupational exposure to ELF-MF with an increased risk of CNS tumors in children, these findings must be approached with caution. Further investigation is warranted into the impacts of paternal exposures.