UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) on Health Impact of Environmental Hazards, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Int J Epidemiol. 2020 Apr 1;49 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i57-i66. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz275.
Various mechanisms have been postulated to explain how electric fields emitted by high voltage overhead power lines, and the charged ions they produce, might be associated with possible adult cancer risk, but this has not previously been systematically explored in large scale epidemiological research.
We investigated risks of adult cancers in relation to modelled air ion density (per cm3) within 600 m (focusing analysis on mouth, lung, respiratory), and calculated electric field within 25 m (focusing analysis on non-melanoma skin), of high voltage overhead power lines in England and Wales, 1974-2008.
With adjustment for age, sex, deprivation and rurality, odds ratios (OR) in the highest fifth of net air ion density (0.504-1) compared with the lowest (0-0.1879) ranged from 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82-1.08] for mouth cancers to 1.03 (95% CI 0.97-1.09) for respiratory system cancers, with no trends in risk. The pattern of cancer risk was similar using corona ion estimates from an alternative model proposed by others. For keratinocyte carcinoma, adjusted OR in the highest (1.06-4.11 kV/m) compared with the lowest (<0.70 kV/m) thirds of electric field strength was 1.23 (95% CI 0.65-2.34), with no trend in risk.
Our results do not provide evidence to support hypotheses that air ion density or electric fields in the vicinity of power lines are associated with cancer risk in adults.
各种机制被认为可以解释高压架空输电线产生的电场及其产生的带电离子如何与可能的成人癌症风险相关，但这在大规模流行病学研究中尚未得到系统探索。
我们研究了与英国和威尔士 1974-2008 年高压架空输电线附近的空气离子密度（每立方厘米）（聚焦于口腔、肺部、呼吸道）和 25 米内的电场（聚焦于非黑色素瘤皮肤）有关的成人癌症风险。
在调整了年龄、性别、贫困和农村程度后，最高五分位（0.504-1）与最低五分位（0-0.1879）相比，空气离子密度的比值比（OR）在口腔癌中为 0.94（95%可信区间（CI）0.82-1.08），在呼吸道癌中为 1.03（95% CI 0.97-1.09），风险无趋势。使用其他人提出的替代模型估算的电晕离子，癌症风险的模式相似。对于角质形成细胞癌，调整后的最高（1.06-4.11 kV/m）与最低（<0.70 kV/m）三分位数电场强度相比，比值比（OR）为 1.23（95%可信区间（CI）0.65-2.34），风险无趋势。
我们的结果没有提供证据支持空气离子密度或电线附近电场与成人癌症风险相关的假设。
