HC Deb 13 March 1997 vol 292 cc346-7W
Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the risk of cancer from(a) domestic exposure to electromagnetic fields,(b) parental exposure to electromagnetic fields and (c) employment in occupations with high exposure to electromagnetic fields; and if he will make a statement; [19839]

(2) what assessment he has made of the risk to human health associated with exposure to electromagnetic fields; and if he will make a statement. [19835]

Mr. Horam

The Department obtains advice on the health implications of exposure to electromagnetic fields from the National Radiological Protection Board and other sources, including its own funded research. The NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation conducted an extensive review of the subject in 1992—"Electromagnetic Fields and the Risk of Cancer" (document series, Vol. 3, No. 1)—and concluded that there was no firm evidence of a carcinogenic hazard from exposure of paternal gonads, the foetus, children or adults to the extremely low-frequency fields that might be associated with residence near major sources of electricity supply, the use of electrical appliances or work in the electrical, electronic and telecommunication industries. The independence expert Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has endorsed the advisory group's report. A supplementary report was published in 1994 by the NRPB—"Electromagnetic Fields and the risk of Cancer" (document series, Vol. 5, No. 2)—to take into account the results of further experimental and epidemiological studies from Scandinavia, France and Canada. Copies of the advisory group's reports are available in the Library.

Several epidemiological studies are currently under way to investigate childhood cancer in relation to various possible causes, including electromagnetic fields. The largest study of that type in this country is the United Kingdom childhood cancer study, which is funded in part by the Department, with technical support provided by the NRPB. The Department is also funding two pilot studies, one of adults and one of children, looking at cancer incidence near power lines.