Factors that explain the power line configuration wiring code-childhood leukemia association: What would they look like?

We explore the question of how to characterize a factor that would explain the patterns of wire code-childhood leukemia association observed in three major United States case-control studies. In positive studies, such a facto r needs to be more prevalent in "high" wire codes than "low" whereas in neg ative studies, the factor should not be correlated to wire code. These conc epts are quantified and we use these results to characterize potential fact ors that might explain the wire code-childhood leukemia association. We the n re-evaluate findings from a survey of correlates of wire code in Connecti cut with respect to potential for explaining the wire code-leukemia associa tion. Under the presumption that the Connecticut correlations apply to the populations in which a wire code-leukemia association has been observed, on ly age and type of home are correlated enough to be potential explanatory f actors. In particular, it appears very unlikely that traffic density can ex plain a significant portion of the wire code association. We suggest that c orrelation studies can be useful for identifying potential explanatory fact ors, but they must be done in regions where a wire code-childhood leukemia association has been observed. Bioelectromagnetics Supplement 5:S19-S31, 20 01. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.