Estimates of Environmental Exposure to RF EMF and Risk of Lymphoma Subtypes

Abstract

Overview

This study investigates the association between environmental exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and the risk of lymphoma subtypes, focusing on a case-control study conducted in Sardinia, Italy between 1998 and 2004. This study included 322 patients and 444 controls.

Methodology

• Collection of questionnaire information on self-reported distance from fixed radio-television transmitters and mobile phone base stations.
• Georeferencing of residential addresses to obtain spatial coordinates of mobile phone base stations.
• Estimation of RF-EMF intensity within a 500-meter radius from mobile phone base stations using spatial models.
• Performing RF-EMF measurements at the door in selected addresses within a 250-meter radius.
• Adjustment of risk calculations for age, gender, and education using unconditional logistic regression.

Findings

Study results indicated an elevated risk for lymphoma associated with proximity (within 50 meters) to fixed radio-television transmitters. However, no significant association was found between lymphoma risk and proximity to mobile phone base stations, whether through self-reported or geocoded data.

The accuracy of self-reports was questioned due to differential underestimation of the distance from mobile phone base stations by cases compared to controls, although this was not statistically significant (P=0.073).

Conclusion

The study concluded that while there may be an associated risk of lymphoma with proximity to radio-television transmitters, there is no supportive evidence of a similar risk linked to mobile phone base stations. Limitations due to the study size and the unavailability of spatial coordinates for radio-television transmitters were noted.