Residential electric consumption and childhood cancer in Canada (1971-1986)

Concern has focused recently on the association between exposure to magnetic fields emanating from electrical equipment and the development of childhood cancer. An ecological study was undertaken to determine the correlation over time between childhood cancer rates and residential electric consumption (REC) in Canada. Significant increases in REC and in overall childhood cancer rates (0.14 cases/100,000 children.y) and brain cancer (0.05 cases/100,000 children.y) were observed, but a similar increase in leukemia was not observed. The average of the yearly provincial ranking of REC and cancer rates was used to determine whether provinces that have, on the average, higher REC also have higher childhood cancer ranks. Stronger correlations were observed between provincial REC rank and brain cancer and leukemia ranks than with lymphoma and other cancer rankings. These findings are consistent with, but do not prove, a causal association between childhood brain cancer and leukemia and REC.