rome and Leukemia

Some recent epidemiologic studies suggest an association between lymphatic and hematopoietic cancers and residential exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz) generated by radio and television transmitters. Vatican Radio is a very powerful station located in a northern suburb of Rome, Italy. In the 10-km area around the station, with 49,656 residents (in 1991), leukemia mortality among adults (aged >14 years; 40 cases) in 1987-1998 and childhood leukemia incidence (eight cases) in 1987-1999 were evaluated. The risk of childhood leukemia was higher than expected for the distance up to 6 km from the radio station (standardized incidence rate = 2.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.0, 4.1), and there was a significant decline in risk with increasing distance both for male mortality (p = 0.03) and for childhood leukemia (p = 0.036). The study has limitations because of the small number of cases and the lack of exposure data. Although the study adds evidence of an excess of leukemia in a population living near high-power radio transmitters, no causal implication can be drawn. There is still insufficient scientific knowledge, and new epidemiologic studies are needed to clarify a possible leukemogenic effect of residential exposure to radio frequency radiation.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Electromagnetic Fields; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Incidence; Leukemia; Male; Radio Waves; Rome

Chromosome banding pattern of bone marrow cells, cell morphology according to the FAB classification, and clinical finding were compared in two groups of adult patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL): 52 patients occupationally exposed to chemical solvents, insecticides, or petrol products, and 110 patients with no history of occupational exposure to potential mutagenic/carcinogenic agents. Striking differences were found between the two groups: (1) Clonal chromosomal aberrations were present in 75% of exposed patients compared with only 32% in the nonexposed group. (2) Of the patients exposed to solvents and insecticides 92% had abnormal chromosomes, whereas only 29% of patients exposed to petrol products showed abnormalities; in the total material 10/13 exposed patients with normal chromosomes were exposed to petrol products. (3) The relationship between chromosomal abnormality and exposure was evident in both females and males. However, only 29% of women with an abnormal karyotype were exposed, whereas 70% of males with an abnormal karyotype were exposed. (4) The incidence of certain characteristic karyotypic abnormalities, i.e., -5/5q-, 7/7q-, +8, +21, t(8;21), and t(9;22), were decidedly more common in exposed than in nonexposed patients. At least one of these changes were present in 92% of exposed patients with aberrations, whereas in the nonexposed group the incidence was only 60%. (5) The monocytic varieties of ANLL (M4 + M5) were more common in the nonexposed patients, whereas erythroleukemia (M6) was more common in the exposed group. The predominance of abnormal karyotypes in the exposed compared to the nonexposed patients was similar in leukemia types M1 + M2 and in M4 + M5. (6) There was no difference in survival time between the two groups and the same correlation was obvious in both exposed and nonexposed patients: patients who had only abnormal metaphases had poorer prognosis than those with normal bone marrow metaphases only (6 vs 1.5 months). This correlation was obvious in patients classified as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as well as in the monocytic varieties of ANLL.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Chromosome Aberrations; Female; Humans; Insecticides; Leukemia; Leukocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases; Petroleum; Prognosis; Rome; Solvents; Sweden