ID Number		2704
Study Type		Epidemiology
Model		Analysis of the correlation between exposure to RF in the city of Albacete (166,000 inhabitants, southeast Spain) and the incidence of several cancers with unspecific causes (lymphomas, and brain tumors).
Details		AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Gonzalez-Rubio et al. 2017 (IEEE #6762): Simultaneously with the increase of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields (RF-EMF) in recent decades, there has been increasing concern about their potential relation with the etiology of several tumors. At this time, the techniques of spatial data analysis jointly with the study of the personal exposure to these fields offer a new approach to the problem. This paper presents the results of a preliminary epidemiological study, combining Epidemiology, Statistics and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), in which we analyzed the correlation between exposure to RF-EMF in the city of Albacete (166,000 inhabitants, southeast Spain) and the incidence of several cancers with unspecific causes (lymphomas, and brain tumors). We used statistical tools to analyze the spatial point patterns and aggregate data with the aim to study the spatial randomness and to determine the zones with the highest incidence from 95 tumors studied (65 lymphomas, 12 gliomas and 18 meningiomas). We also perform a correlation (Spearman) study between the personal exposure to RF-EMF in 14 frequency bands, recorded by an EME Spy 140 (Satimo) exposimeter in the city's administrative regions, and the incidence of the tumors registered from January 2012 to May 2015. The studied cancer cases have a random spatial distribution inside the city. On the other hand, and by means of an ecological study, we verified that the exposure to RF-EMF registered in the city of Albacete shows little correlation with the incidence of the studied tumors (gliomas (Á = 0.15), meningiomas (Á = 0.19) and lymphomas (Á =  0.03)). The proposed methodology inaugurates an unexplored analysis path in this field. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Mortazavi et al. 2017 (IEEE #6935): This correspondence refers to the Science of the Total Environment article by Gonzalez-Rubio et al. entitled "Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and some cancers of unknown etiology: An ecological study". Authors of this paper have presented the findings of their preliminary epidemiological study which combined epidemiology, statistics and geographical information systems (GIS). Gonzalez-Rubio et al. have analyzed the possible link between exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields (RF-EMF) in the city of Albacete, Spain and the incidence of cancers such as lymphomas, and brain tumors. The shortcomings of this study are discussed. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Ramirez-Vazquez et al. 2019 IEEE #7174): In the last decades, exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) has substantially increased as new wireless technologies have been introduced. Society has become more concerned about the possible effects of RF-EMF on human health in parallel to the increase in their exposure. The appearance of personal exposimeters opens up wide-ranging research possibilities. Despite studies having characterised personal exposure to RF-EMF, part of the population is still worried, to the extent that psychogenic diseases (nocebo effect) appear, and patients suffer. It could be interesting to share personal exposure results with the population to better understand and promote public health. The main objective was to characterise personal exposure to environmental RF-EMF in Albacete (166,000 inhabitants, SE Spain), and assess the effect of sharing the results of the study on participants risk perception. Measurements were taken by a personal Satimo EME SPY 140 exposimeter, which was programmed every 10/s for 24/h. To measure personal exposure to RF-EMF, we worked with 75 volunteers. Their personal exposure, 14 microenvironments in the city, e.g., home, outdoors, work, etc., and possible time differences were analysed. After participating in the study, 35 participants completed a questionnaire about their RF-EMF risk perception, which was also answered by a control sample to compare the results (N/=/36). The total average exposure of 14 bands was 37.7/¼W/m2, and individual ranges fell between 0.2/¼W/m2, recorded in TV4&5, and a maximum of 264.7/¼W/m2 in DECT. For Friday, we recorded a mean of 53.9/¼W/m2 as opposed to 23.4/¼W/m2 obtained on Saturday. The recorded night-time value was 27.5/¼W/m2 versus 43.8/¼W/m2 recorded in the daytime. The mean personal exposure value also showed differences between weekdays and weekend days, with 39.7/¼W/m2 and 26.9/¼W/m2, respectively. The main source that contributed to the mean total personal exposure was enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) with 50.2%, followed by mobile phones with 18.4% and mobile stations with 11.0% (GSM, DCS and UMTS), while WiFi signals gave 12.5%. In the analysed microenvironments, the mean exposure of homes and workplaces was 34.3/¼W/m2 and 55.2/¼W/m2, respectively. Outdoors, the mean value was 34.2/¼W/m2 and the main sources were DECT, WiFi and mobile phone stations, depending on the place. The risk perception analysis found that 54% of the participants perceived that RF-EMF were less dangerous than before participating in the study, while 43% reported no change in their perceptions. Only 9% of the volunteers who received information about their measurements after the study assessed the possible RF-EMF risk with a value over or equal to 4 (on a scale from 1 to 5) versus 39% of the non-participant controls. We conclude that personal exposure to RF-EMF fell well below the limits recommended by ICNIRP and showed wide temporal and spatial variability. The main exposure sources were DECT, followed by mobile phones and WiFi. Sharing exposure results with participants lowered their risk perception.
Findings		No Effects
Status		Completed With Publication
Principal Investigator		Univ of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
Funding Agency		?????
Country		SPAIN
References		Gonzalez-Rubio, J et al. Science of The Total Environment., (2017) 599-600:834-843 Mortazavi , SA et al. Sci Total Environ., (2017) 609:1. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.131.- Ramirez-Vazquez, R et al. Environmental Research., (2019) 172:109-116
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