Power lines link to children with leukaemia

Children who live close to high-voltage overhead power lines may be at an increased risk of leukaemia, a study suggests today.

But the researchers admit there is a possibility that their results may not be related directly to the power lines.

They found that children living within 200 metres of the lines were 70per cent more likely to develop leukaemia than those who lived beyond 600 metres. Those between 200 and 600 metres of the pylons also had a 20 per cent increased risk.

Some researchers have suggested that low-frequency magnetic fields, such as those caused by the production of electricity, could be linked to cancer. Other studies-such as the large UK Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) which reported its results recently, have disputed this risk.

The latest study, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at 29,000 children with cancer, including 9,700 with leukaemia.

Dr Gerald Draper from the Childhood Cancer Research Group at Oxford University said they had found no direct cause and warned: "It may be something to do with the kind of areas where power lines are located, or the sort of people who live in these areas. We will be looking at that further."