Occupational exposure to electromagnetic field and breast cancer risk in a large, population-based, case-control study in the United States.

Abstract

Our objective was to evaluate women who were occupationally exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and breast cancer risk. Women diagnosed with breast cancer (n=6213) and randomly selected age-matched control subjects (n=7390) provided breast cancer risk factor information and occupational history. A qualified industrial hygienist classified each job for EMF exposure as background, low, medium, or high. When compared with the referent of background exposure, the odds ratio adjusted for age and state of residence was 1.06 (95% CI=0.99-1.14) for low exposure, 1.09 (95% CI=0.96-1.23) for medium exposure, and 1.16 (95% CI=0.90-1.50) for high exposure. Our findings, taken together with previous epidemiological studies, suggest that exposure to EMF in the workplace may be associated with a slight elevation in breast cancer risk.