Incidence of Cancer in the Vicinity of Korean AM Radio Transmitters

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Abstract
Results of various studies have indicated a potential association between exposures to electrical and/or magnetic fields and risks of various cancers. The authors used a cross-sectional ecological study design to investigate such a potential association. In areas proximate to 42 amplitude modulated (AM) radio transmitters, 11 high-power study sites (i.e., areas exposed to 100-1,500-kW transmission power) and 31 low-power study sites (i.e., areas exposed to 50-kW transmission power) were identified. The incidence of cancer within a 2-km radius of each transmitter was obtained from (a) Korean medical-insurance data for the years 1993 through 1996, (b) population census data for the year 1995, and (c) resident registration data for the year 1995. The authors calculated age-standardized rate ratios for total cancer, leukemia, malignant lymphoma, brain cancer, and breast cancer, and compared the incidence of cancer within 2 km of the high-power transmitters vs. the incidence within 2 km of the low-power transm...