Titre :
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Leukemia, brain tumors, and exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields in Swiss railway employees. (2001)
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Auteurs :
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C.E. MINDER ;
D.H. PFLUGER ;
Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine. University of Berne. Berne. CHE
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Type de document :
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Article
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Dans :
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American journal of epidemiology (vol. 153, n° 9, 2001)
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Pagination :
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825-835
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Langues:
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Anglais
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Mots-clés :
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Leucémie
;
Cancer
;
Exposition professionnelle
;
Magnétisme
;
Epidémiologie
;
Facteur risque
;
Homme
;
Suisse
;
Europe
;
Médecine travail
;
Système nerveux [pathologie]
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Résumé :
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[BDSP. Notice produite par INIST 556SR0xQ. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Railway engineers provide excellent opportunities for studying the relation between exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields and leukemia or brain tumors. In a cohort study of Swiss railway personnel with 2.7 x 105 person-years of follow-up (1972-1993), the authors compared occupations with high average exposures (line engineers : 25.9 muT) to those with medium and low exposures (station masters : 1 muT). The mortality rate ratio for leukemia was 2.4 (95% confidence interval (Cl) : 1.0,6.1) among line engineers (reference category : station masters). The mortality rate ratio for brain tumors was 1.0 (95% Cl : 0.2,4.6) among line engineers and 5.1 (95% Cl : 1.2,21.2) among shunting yard engineers (compared with station masters). Two exposure characteristics were evaluated : cumulative exposure in muT-years and years spent under exposure to magnetic fields of >=10 muT. There was a significant increase in leukemia mortality of 0.9% (95% Cl : 0.2,1.7) per muT-year of cumulative exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields. The increase by years spent under exposure of >=10 muT was even stronger : 62% per year (95% Cl : 15,129). Brain cancer risk did not show a dose-response relation. This study contributes to the evidence for a link between heavy exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields and leukemia. Its strengths include reliable measurements and reliable historical reconstruction of exposures.
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