§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what research he has been informed of on the relationship between electromagnetic radiation from power lines and cancer; and if he will make a statement. [39809]
§ Mr. EggarThe most recent advice received about the alleged link between electromagnetic fields from power lines and cancer is a statement issued in March 1994 by the National Radiological Protection Board, based on a set of Scandinavian studies. These studies did not establish that exposure to EMF was a cause of cancer, although they provided some evidence to suggest that the possibility exists in the case of childhood leukaemia. A five-year study of the incidence of childhood cancers, taking into account a range of possible causes, is being conducted by the UK Co-ordinating Committee on Cancer Research, the results of which are expected in 1997.