Association between Magnetic Fields Exposure and Childhood Acute Leukemia: a Population Study. Report from the Mexican Inter-Institutional Group for the Identification of the Causes of Childhood Leukemia (MIGICCL)

Background It has been suggested that the study of the relationship between extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and childhood acute leukemia (AL) must continue, particularly, in countries such as Mexico where the population is highly exposed to ELF-MF and where an increased risk for childhood AL has been reported. We aimed to determine the levels of exposure to ELF-MF in Mexican children and to identify the association between ELF-MF exposure and childhood AL in our population. Methods A case-control study was carried out by the Mexican Inter-institutional Group for the Identification of the Causes of Childhood Leukemia (MIGICCL) in eight public Hospitals of Mexico City during 2010-2011. The 24-hour and ‘spot’ measurements were obtained using the EMDEX Lite Meter gaussmeters (Enertech Consultants Campbell, CA, USA) from 485 patients with childhood AL (cases) aged less than 17 years and 485 controls matched according to sex, age and health Institution with cases. Results The frequencies of ELF...