Speaker
Description
Introduction: Extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure has been hypothesised to increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases, but epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive. This study investigates the relationship between long-term ELF-MF exposure and mortality from neurodegenerative diseases in adults living in Switzerland.
Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study using the Swiss National Cohort (SNC), covering an 18-year follow-up (2001–2018) and including 3.5 million individuals. ELF-MF exposure was estimated using proximity models based on residential distance to high-voltage power and railway lines. Residential histories were used to account for mobility, and cumulative ELF-MF exposure was calculated in μT-years. Mortality outcomes included Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Associations were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors.
Results: Over follow-up, over 128,000 deaths from neurodegenerative diseases were recorded. Cumulative ELF-MF exposure was low (95th percentile: 0.97 μT-years for power lines, 3.27 μT-years for railway lines). No increase in mortality risk was observed for Alzheimer´s disease, ALS, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. A slight increase in risk for other dementias was observed with power line exposure (HR: 1.010, 95% CI: 1.002–1.019), though residual confounding cannot be ruled out.
Conclusions: This large-scale comprehensive study found no evidence linking ELF-MF exposure to neurodegenerative disease mortality. The findings align with previous studies, which have not established a consistent link between residential ELF-MF and neurodegenerative outcomes.
