Epidemiological study (observational study)

Mobile phone base stations and early childhood cancers: case-control study epidem.

By: Elliott P, Toledano MB, Bennett J, Beale L, de Hoogh K, Best N, Briggs DJ

Published in: BMJ 2010; 340: c3077

Aim of study (acc. to author)

A case-control study was conducted in Great Britain to investigate the risk of early childhood cancers associated with the mother's exposure to radiofrequency from mobile phone base stations during pregnancy.

Further details

The four national mobile phone operators provided data on all base stations (GSM 900 and 1800) including site identifier, coordinates (to an accuracy of about 10 m), number of antennas per base station, antenna orientation (azimuth), type (sectoral, omni-directional), height above ground level, total (electrical and mechanical) tilt, lateral and vertical beam width (degrees), total power output (effective isotropic radiated power), and frequency (MHz). The three exposure estimates distance, total power output and modelled power density were calculated based on this data.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

Type of risk estimation:

incidence

(odds ratio (OR))

Exposure

- mobile communications
- mobile phone base station
- GSM
- residential

Assessment

calculation: 1. distance (m) of birth address to nearest base station; 2. total power output (kW) from summation across all base stations within 700 m; 3. modelled power density (mW/m²) at birth address for base stations within 1400 m

Exposure groups

Group	Description
Reference group 1	distance from the nearest mobile phone base station: ≥ 1071.8 m
Group 2	distance from the nearest mobile phone base station: 612.1 - 1071.7 m
Group 3	distance from the nearest mobile phone base station: 0 - 612.0 m
Reference group 4	total power output: 0 kW
Group 5	total power output: 0.001-4.742 kW
Group 6	total power output: ≥ 4.743 kW
Reference group 7	modelled power density: 0 - 0.002256 mW/m²
Group 8	modelled power density: 0.002257 - 0.016996 mW/m²
Group 9	modelled power density: ≥ 0.016997 mW/m²

Population

Group:
- children
Age: 0–4 years
Observation period: 1999 - 2001
Study location: Great Britain

Case group

Characteristics: childhood cancer
Data source: cancer registry of Great Britain

Control group

Selection:
- population-based
Matching:
- sex
- age
- case:control = 1:4

Study size

	Cases	Controls
Eligible	1,926	6,222
Evaluable	1,397	5,588

Other:

251 children with brain cancers and 527 children with leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Statistical analysis method:

conditional logistic regression

(adjustment:

socioeconomic status

)

Results (acc. to author)

No association between the risk of early childhood cancers and estimates of the mother's exposure to radiofrequency from mobile phone base stations during pregnancy was found.

Study funded by

Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research (MTHR), UK

Comments on this article

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Elliott P et al. (2010): Mobile phone base stations and early childhood cancers: case-control study

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