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Power lines and cancer

Everything that uses or carries electricity, from household appliances to power lines, produces an electromagnetic field (EMF). There is a lot of worry that EMFs produced by power lines can cause cancer, particularly leukaemia in children.

Power lines and childhood leukaemia

There is little strong evidence to link power lines to adult cancers. But studies have found an association between EMFs and childhood leukaemia.

The UK has very low levels of EMF compared to some other countries like the USA. Some of the strongest research suggested that the average EMF levels in the UK do not increase the risk of any cancer. But the very highest levels of EMF may double the risk of leukaemia in children. Only about 1 in 250 of UK homes experience EMF levels that high.

Because the evidence is limited, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified EMFs as a ‘possible’ cause of cancer.

EMFs may not cause cancer directly

Despite the association between very high EMF levels and childhood leukaemia, we cannot say for sure that EMFs cause this cancer. The link could be explained by common factors or biases in the research.

There is also no firmly established way in which EMFs could cause cancer. These fields do induce electric currents in our body. But these are many times smaller than the currents that normally run through our bodies, like those that control our heartbeats.

Some scientists have suggested that electric fields could attract airborne particles and increase the chance of them being inhaled or deposited on the skin. This is called the corona effect. A report from the National Radiological Protection Board concluded that this effect is real, but is likely to be small and may only have minor effects. More research will tell us if the corona effect is large enough to cause health problems.

EMFs may not be a major risk factor

Even if future research shows that EMFs from power lines can cause childhood leukaemia, they are unlikely to be a major cause of this disease. Less than 1% of UK children with leukaemia come from homes with the highest EMF levels.

Current research

The World Health Organisation has recommended that some precautions could be taken but the current evidence is not strong enough to warrant anything beyond very low cost measures. These include more research and setting limits to EMF levels.

The Department of Health have set up an advisory group called SAGE to look at the potential risks of EMFs and power lines. This group will analyse methods for reducing EMF levels and work out if the benefits would justify the costs based on the current evidence.

For more information about power lines, EMFs and cancer, visit the Health Protection Agency’s website.