FAQs on Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer

["John Moulder" <jmoulder@post.its.mcw.edu>]

FAQs on Static Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer

Archive-name: static-fields-cancer-FAQ
Last-modified: 10-Dec-95
Version: 2.0.1
Maintainer: jmoulder@its.mcw.edu

This 3-part FAQ sheet (v2.0.1) was posted to sci.med.physics, sci.answers, and 
news.answers on 20-Feb-96

* Purpose

The purpose of this FAQ sheet is to examine the laboratory and 
epidemiological evidence relevant to the issue of whether static (direct 
current, DC) magnetic or electric fields cause or contribute to cancer 
in humans. 


*Sources

The primary anonymous FTP archive is:
ftp://ftp.mcw.edu/pub/emf-and-cancer
This archive contains a 1-part version of the posted 3-part FAQ sheet.
It may also contain an updated, but not yet posted version; a BinHex 
version (.hqx) of the Mac Word master; and other related documents.

A secondary anonymous FTP archive is:
cdmas.crc.mcw.edu/pub/static_fields_cancer_FAQ
This archive always contains a 1-part version of the currently posted 
FAQ sheet.

E-mail server:
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
-To get the current FAQ you would send the following message
   send /pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part1
   . . .
   send /pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/static-fields-cancer-FAQ/part3

On World Wide Web:
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/static-fields-cancer-http:/
/www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/static-fields-cancer-FAQ/.html
http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/usenet/usenet-by-hierarchy/sci/med/physics
http://www.lib.ox.ac.uk/internet/news/faq/sci.med.physics.html

* Table of Contents
- Does anyone think that static magnetic fields cause cancer?
- When evaluating whether there might be a connection between EM fields and 
cancer, can all EM fields be considered the same?
- When evaluating whether there might be a connection between static EM fields 
and cancer, do we have to consider EM radiation as well as EM fields, and do 
we have to consider the electric as well as the magnetic component of the 
field?
- What units are used to measure static magnetic fields?
- What sort of static magnetic fields are common in residences and workplaces?
- What is known about the relationship between occupational exposure to static 
magnetic fields and cancer?
- How do scientists determine whether an environmental agent, such as a static 
EM field causes or contributes to the development of cancer?
- How does the epidemiological evidence relevant to a connection between 
static fields and cancer stand up to the Hill criteria?
- How could laboratory studies be used to help evaluate the possible 
relationship between static magnetic fields and cancer?
- Are static magnetic fields genotoxic, do they enhance the effects of other 
genotoxic agents, do have any biological effects that might be relevant to 
cancer?
- Do static magnetic fields show any reproducible biological effects in 
laboratory studies, and do fields of the intensity encountered in occupational 
settings show reproducible biological effects?
- Are there known mechanisms that would explain how static magnetic fields of 
the intensity encountered in occupational settings could cause biological 
effects?
- How does the sum of the laboratory and epidemiological evidence relevant to 
a connection between static magnetic fields and cancer stand up to the Hill 
criteria?
- Have any independent bodies reviewed the research on static electric and 
magnetic fields and possible human health effects?
- Do exposure standards for static electric and magnetic fields exist, and 
what is their basis?
- Annotated bibliography

Revision Notes:
v2.0.1 (10-Dec-95) Minor editing throughout. Errors in describing the ACGIH 
(Q20) standard have been fixed.  New references are added on epidemiology 
[61], risk assessment [63,64], genotoxicity [65], cell growth effects [66,67] 
and effects of melatonin [68].


John Moulder (jmoulder@its.mcw.edu)
Radiation Biology Group
Medical College of Wisconsin