Occupational Exposure to Electric Shocks and Magnetic Fields and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Sweden

Authored By:

This is a case-control study that investigated the association between electric shocks or ELF MF exposure and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). A total of 4,709 cases and 23,335 controls were included in the study. The exposures were assessed based on the occupations using job-exposure matrices. Overall, there were no associations between occupational ELF MF or electric shocks and ALS. For subjects less than 65 years old, electric shocks were associated with ALS (odds ratio (OR) of 1.22, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.43). It was also found that for welders less than 65 years old, the OR was 1.52 (95% CI = 1.05, 2.21). The authors concluded that there is no overall higher risk of ALS in electrical occupations and provided only a weak support for association between electric shocks and ALS.

Link to PubMed abstract

Published In: