ABSTRACT
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified power frequency magnetic fields (MFs) (extremely-low frequency [ELF]-MFs) in 2001 (IARC 2002) and radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in 2011 (IARC 2013) as possible human carcinogens (group 2B) mainly based on limited evidence from epidemiological studies. Additional studies on ELF-MFs published since 2002 increased the credibility of an association with childhood leukemia. For RF-EMFs, the classification was based on large epidemiological studies of an association between mobile phone use and brain tumors (Hardell et al. 2006a, 2006b; INTERPHONE Study Group 2010). Although the studies of MFs in the power frequency range allow for an overall estimate of the risk from increased levels of MFs, the duration of mobile phone use is too short for the time being to arrive at a final estimate of the risk and hence of the public health impact.
