Question:
122 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children his views on the contents of a report (details supplied). [7334/01]
Written Answers. - Research Reports.
The report referred to by the Deputy was prepared for the National Radiological Protection Board – NRPB – in the United Kingdom.
I am advised that the main conclusions of the report are that laboratory experiments have provided no good evidence that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields are capable of causing cancer nor do human epidemiological studies suggest that they cause cancer in general. There is, however, some epidemiological evidence that prolonged exposure to higher levels of power frequency magnetic fields is associated with a small risk of leukaemia in children. In practice such levels of exposure are seldom encountered by the general public in the United Kingdom.
In the absence of clear evidence of a carcinogenic effect in adults or of a plausible explanation from experiments on animals or isolated cells, the epidemiological evidence is currently not strong enough to justify a firm conclusion that such fields cause leukaemia in children. Unless, however, further research indicates findings are due to chance or some currently unrecognised artefact, the possibility remains that intense and prolonged exposure to magnetic fields can increase the risk of leukaemia in children. The report also makes recommendations for further research.
I have asked the chief medical officer to examine the report and revert to me.