Siemiatycki J
Epidemiology Research Unit, Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec, Canada.
Environ Health Perspect. 1993 Dec;101 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):135-41. doi: 10.1289/ehp.93101s4135.
Because of a reported excess of cancers among children living near power lines, there is some concern that electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) induced by electric power sources may affect human health, and this possibility has provoked considerable controversy. The scientific question of whether there are such health effects is far from resolved. Building upon a set of detailed reviews of the available evidence, this paper proposes research priorities and places particular emphasis on epidemiologic research. The most pressing need is to verify the validity of the claim that childhood cancer risk is affected by the type of wiring code in the vicinity of the household. More useful work can be done to verify this in the areas in which such studies have already been carried out, and additional studies should be done elsewhere. Methodological investigation of the interrelationships among different measures and proxies for EMF is needed, and this could feed back to influence the type of EMF measures used in epidemiologic studies. Studies of cancer among adults in relation to EMFs in the work place are needed. Of lower priority are studies of adverse reproductive outcomes in relation to parental EMF exposure and studies of the neurobehavioral impact of chronic EMF exposure. This article also discusses the structural impediments of conducting environmental epidemiology research and argues that bold, large-scale epidemiologic monitoring systems are needed. There is a discussion of the interface between epidemiology and public policy in a topic area as controversial as EMFs.
由于有报道称居住在输电线附近的儿童患癌症的比例过高，人们担心电源产生的电场和磁场（EMF）可能会影响人类健康，这种可能性引发了相当大的争议。关于是否存在此类健康影响的科学问题远未得到解决。基于对现有证据的一系列详细综述，本文提出了研究重点，并特别强调了流行病学研究。最紧迫的需求是核实关于儿童癌症风险受家庭附近布线规范类型影响这一说法的真实性。在已经开展此类研究的地区，可以进行更多有用的工作来核实这一点，并且应该在其他地方开展更多研究。需要对EMF的不同测量方法和替代指标之间的相互关系进行方法学研究，这可能会反馈影响流行病学研究中使用的EMF测量类型。需要开展关于成年人在工作场所接触EMF与癌症关系的研究。与父母接触EMF相关的不良生殖结局研究以及慢性EMF暴露对神经行为影响的研究优先级较低。本文还讨论了开展环境流行病学研究的结构障碍，并认为需要大胆、大规模的流行病学监测系统。文中还讨论了在像EMF这样有争议的主题领域中流行病学与公共政策之间的接口问题。
