A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation

ALS: Microwave News Article Archive (2004 - )

October 6, 2020

“Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Occupational Exposure to ELF Magnetic Fields and Electric Shocks: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Reviews on Environmental Health, posted September 18, 2020.

“This review of 27 epidemiological studies on the association of occupational exposure to ELF-MF as well as electric shocks and the risk of ALS suggests a risk increase of 20% for ELF-MF exposed workers but no increased risk for workers who experienced electric shocks on their job.” But, just a few days later, a New Zealand team reaches the opposite conclusion.

May 1, 2017

“Occupational Exposure to ELF Magnetic Fields and Risk for Central Nervous System Disease: An Update of the Danish Cohort Study Among Utility Workers,” International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, online April 20, 2017.

“We observed elevated risks of dementia, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy and lower risks of Parkinson disease in relation to exposure to ELF-MF in a large cohort of utility employees.”

March 29, 2017

“Occupational Exposure and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Prospective Cohort,” Occupational Environmental Medicine, posted online March 29, 2017.

“Only for ELF-MF in men we observed a significant increased risk of ALS mortality with increasing exposure levels.” … “These results strengthen the evidence suggesting a positive association between ELF-MF exposure and ALS.” Open access.

September 22, 2014

“Occupational Exposure to Magnetic Fields and Electric Shocks and Risk of ALS: The Swiss National Cohort,” Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, posted online September 17, 2014.

This may help settle the long-standing uncertainty as to whether the well-documented risk of ALS among workers is related to electric shocks or exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields. As Anke Huss and coworkers conclude: “[O]ur study provided no evidence that ALS is associated with electrical shocks at work. We did find that ALS is associated with occupational exposure to medium or high levels of extremely low-frequency magnetic fields among workers with a higher likelihood of being long-term exposed to ELF-MF.” For some background, see the group’s earlier presentation, its paper on exposure assessment and our report from 1998 (p.4).

November 30, 2012

“Association between ELF EMFs Occupations and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Meta-Analysis,”

PLoS1, published online November 26, 2012. From Zheijang University in Hangzhou, China: "Our data suggest a slight but significant ALS risk increase among those with job titles related to relatively high levels of ELF-EMF exposure."