IARC

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is an agency of the World Health Organisation. Its Unit of Carcinogen Identification and Evaluation has, since 1972, periodically published Monographs which assess the evidence that various agents are carcinogenic and classify the agents accordingly. In June 2001, a Working Group met to consider static and extremely-low-frequency electric and magnetic fields. The key decision was to classify power-frequency magnetic fields as “possibly carcinogenic”.

The complete results have been published as Monograph number 80 and a summary of the key findings and classifications has been released by IARC. The following table assembles the various classifications into a single table. More

Power-frequency magnetic fields were classified as “possibly carcinogenic” on the basis of
• “limited” evidence from humans concerning childhood leukaemia,
• “inadequate” evidence from humans concerning all other cancer types, and
• “inadequate” evidence from animals.

Power-frequency electric fields were judged “not classifiable” on the basis of “inadequate” evidence from both humans and animals.

These classifications are consistent with the conclusions reached by the NRPB’s
Advisory Group.

Many other agents have been placed by IARC in the same category of “possibly carcinogenic” see complete list

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