摘要：Thirty years ago, Nancy Wertheimer and Ed Leeper published the first report on the
association between childhood cancer and “electrical current configuration” of houses in Denver,
Colorado. In 2001 the International Agency for Research on Cancer defined 50-60 Hz magnetic
fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” because of the “limited evidence” of carcinogenicity
of residential exposure relatively to childhood leukemia. With respect to health effects other than
cancer, namely neurodegenerative disorders, miscarriage, subtle differences in the timing of melatonin
release, altered autonomic control of the heart, and changes in the number of natural killer
cells, some open questions still remain. Several authors recommended further investigation of the
possible long-term effects of magnetic fields, focussing on populations experiencing high exposure
levels. In this frame a research team of ISS searched for a suitable location to implement an epidemiological
study aimed at a wide range of outcomes for which a priori hypotheses could be formulated.
The recently published findings of this project showed an increase of primary and secondary
malignant neoplasms, ischaemic disease and haematological diseases. Future studies should
thus address the most exposed sectors of the population, take into account different outcomes (all
neoplasms, neurodegenerative diseases, immunological disorders, specific cardiovascular effects)
and follow research protocols that enable subsequent pooled analyses. A precautionary approach
may provide the frame for decision making where the available resources for environmental remediation
be prioritatively allocated to worst-off situations.
关键词：magnetic fields, epidemiological studies, public health.
