Absenteeism and mortality of workers exposed to electromagnetic fields in the French Electricity Company

The objective of this study was to describe the health status of electricit y workers exposed to electromagnetic fields during their job. Two groups of exposed workers were studied from 1978 to 1993: the live line workers (n = 121) and the substation workers (n = 232.7) of the French Electricity Comp any (EDF). A control group was randomly selected from all the company non-m anagement mate employees; one control for each exposed subject was matched for the first year of employment. Absenteeism indices and mortality rates w ere computed and compared in the exposed and control groups. The absence ra tes were 1.98% in the substation workers and 2.5% in the control group (p < 0.001) and 2.7% in the live-line workers and 2.8% in the control group (NS ). No effect of the length of exposure was found. However the medical cause s of sickness absence were different: exposed employees had less psychiatri c and respiratory diseases but more accidents at work than their control gr oup. Relative risks of accidents at work were 1.2 [95% confidence interval (CI)= 1.08-1.33] for substation workers and 3.22 (CI = 1.78-5.88) for live line workers. EDF electromagnetic field exposed workers seemed not to be af fected by any specific health problems except for an excess of accidents at work.