Speaker
Description
Extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) have been evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Monograph programme on the Identification of Carcinogenic Hazards to Humans in June 2001. The IARC Monographs identify environmental factors that are carcinogenic hazards to humans, with classification as Group 1 carcinogens (“carcinogenic to humans”), Group 2A (“probably carcinogenic to humans”), Group 2B (“possibly carcinogenic to humans”), and Group 3 (“not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans”), based on the strength of evidence. The evaluation of ELF-MF was Group 2 B based on the findings from epidemiological studies of childhood leukaemia (limited evidence from cancer in humans), while there was inadequate evidence from cancer in experimental animals and no relevant support from other mechanistic data. Many other assessments have referred to the IARC classification when updating their literature review, most commissioned by the European Commission (EC), by their “Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)”, which evaluated electromagnetic fields (EMF) in general in March 2007, again in January 2009, and in March 2015; most recently by their “Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER)” adopted in April 2023, and in May 2024 and a risk assessment within the EC-funded ARIMMORA project. All of the published opinions were in agreement with the previous IARC evaluation.
To better understand the assessment of “limited evidence in humans” it is crucial to discuss the strengths and limitations of the respective epidemiological studies, which will be done at the workshop.
