Adverse human reproductive outcomes and electromagnetic fields: A brief summary of the epidemiologic literature

Power frequency fields are of concern as risk factors for adverse reproduct ive outcomes. This report briefly summarizes the epidemiologic evidence of potential associations between a number of adverse reproductive outcomes an d parental exposures to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs). Over the last decade numerous reviews of the human literature regarding these potential a ssociations have been published. These reviews, in general, have concluded that: (1) evidence is lacking for a strong association between a woman's us e of a video display terminal (VDT) and fetal loss, (2) evidence is lacking for a strong association between a woman's use of a VDT and adverse reprod uctive outcomes other than fetal loss, primarily a result of too few availa ble data, and (3) the paucity of data on other parental EMF exposures and s ubsequent adverse outcomes of pregnancy limits drawing a valid scientific c onclusion. Since those earlier reviews appeared, the number of new investig ations have been relatively small. These new studies do not substantially a lter the above summary conclusions. The lack of epidemiologic data in this area, coupled with some speculations about potential biological effects ass ociated with EMFs, raises the importance of researching this area further. Bioelectromagnetics Supplement 5:S5-S18, 2001. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss. Inc.