Study type: Epidemiological study (observational study)

Use of cellular telephones and brain tumour risk in urban and rural areas epidem.

Published in: Occup Environ Med 2005; 62 (6): 390-394

Aim of study (acc. to author)

In this study, further analyses were performed on the database of a Swedish case-control study (see publication 9105) on the use of cellular telephones and cordless telephones and the risk of brain tumors in urban and rural areas.

Further details

Furthermore, there are additional analyses of the database of the same case-control study (publication 9105) in publications 9520, 9361 and 12393.
The subjects were grouped into 6 categories (H1 - H6) depending on the population density according to the classification of the Statistics Sweden. The groups H1 and H2 include the largest cities Stockholm, Göteborg, and Malmö/Lund where as the lowest density group H6 consists of municipalities with less than 27,000 inhabitants within a radius of 30 km from the centre. The groups H1 - H3 are classified as urban, the groups H4 - H6 as rural.

Endpoint/type of risk estimation

Type of risk estimation: (odds ratio (OR))

Exposure

Assessment

Exposure groups

Group Description
Reference group 1 unexposed
Group 2 H1-H6, analog, > 1 year latency
Group 3 H1-H3, analog, > 1 year latency
Group 4 H4-H6, analog, > 1 year latency
Group 5 H1-H6, analog, > 5 years latency
Group 6 H1-H3, analog, > 5 years latency
Group 7 H4-H6, analog, > 5 years latency
Group 8 H1-H6, analog, > 10 years latency
Group 9 H1-H3, analog, > 10 years latency
Group 10 H4-H6, analog, > 10 years latency
Group 11 H1-H6, digital, > 1 year latency
Group 12 H1-H3, digital, > 1 year latency
Group 13 H4-H6, digital, > 1 year latency
Group 14 H1-H6, digital, > 5 years latency
Group 15 H1-H3, digital, > 5 years latency
Group 16 H4-H6, digital, > 5 years latency
Group 17 H1-H6, cordless, > 1 year latency
Group 18 H1-H3, cordless, > 1 year latency
Group 19 H4-H6, cordless, > 1 year latency
Group 20 H1-H6, cordless, > 5 years latency
Group 21 H1-H3, cordless, > 5 years latency
Group 22 H4-H6, cordless, > 5 years latency
Group 23 H1-H6, cordless, > 10 years latency
Group 24 H1-H3, cordless, > 10 years latency
Group 25 H4-H6, cordless, > 10 years latency

Population

Case group

Control group

Study size

Cases Controls
Eligible 1,617 -
Contacted 1,617 1,617
Participants 1,429 1,470
Participation rate 88 % 91 %
Statistical analysis method: (adjustment: )

Results (acc. to author)

No effect of place of residence was found for analog cellular and cordless telephones. An increased risk for brain tumor was found among users of digital cellular telephones in rural areas compared to urban areas .

Limitations (acc. to author)

The results are based on low numbers und must be interpreted with caution.

Study funded by

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