Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study

Introduction: The use of electrical appliances using extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) has increased in the past few years. These ELF MF are reported to be linked to several adverse health effects. However, only a couple of studies have been conducted on the association betw...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shabana Noori, Abdul Aleem, Imrana Niaz Sultan, Afrasiab Khan Tareen, Hayat Ullah, Muhammad Waseem Khan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Medical Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/13/2/36
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849432042423451648
author Shabana Noori
Abdul Aleem
Imrana Niaz Sultan
Afrasiab Khan Tareen
Hayat Ullah
Muhammad Waseem Khan
author_facet Shabana Noori
Abdul Aleem
Imrana Niaz Sultan
Afrasiab Khan Tareen
Hayat Ullah
Muhammad Waseem Khan
author_sort Shabana Noori
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: The use of electrical appliances using extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) has increased in the past few years. These ELF MF are reported to be linked to several adverse health effects. However, only a couple of studies have been conducted on the association between risk of tumours and use of electronic devices using low frequency (LF) EMF. Methods: We studied the use of common household electrical appliances and suspected risk of tumours in a multi-hospital-based case-control study. In total, 316 patients were included in the final analysis. Results: The study results showed a below unity risk for most of the devices. A slight increased risk of tumour was observed for computer screen use OR: 1.13 (95% CI: 0.43–3.02) and use of microwave oven OR: 1.21 (95% CI: 0.36–4.04). We also had chance to investigate ELF MFs exposure association with tumour. Where we observed elevated odd ratios in individuals living near electricity transformer stations, with a statistically significant risk OR: 2.16 (95% CI: 1.30–3.59). However, the risk was below unity (OR: 0.98) in individuals residing close to powerlines. Conclusion: The current study serves as a pilot study of primary data and will be helpful in future epidemiological research studies on the topic in the region.
format Article
id doaj-art-19a677693f3845e28d064eb7b78ed57a
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3271
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Medical Sciences
spelling doaj-art-19a677693f3845e28d064eb7b78ed57a2025-08-20T03:27:28ZengMDPI AGMedical Sciences2076-32712025-04-011323610.3390/medsci13020036Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control StudyShabana Noori0Abdul Aleem1Imrana Niaz Sultan2Afrasiab Khan Tareen3Hayat Ullah4Muhammad Waseem Khan5Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87300, PakistanDepartment of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad 45550, PakistanDepartment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87300, PakistanDepartment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87300, PakistanBiological Engineering, College of Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USADepartment of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87300, PakistanIntroduction: The use of electrical appliances using extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) has increased in the past few years. These ELF MF are reported to be linked to several adverse health effects. However, only a couple of studies have been conducted on the association between risk of tumours and use of electronic devices using low frequency (LF) EMF. Methods: We studied the use of common household electrical appliances and suspected risk of tumours in a multi-hospital-based case-control study. In total, 316 patients were included in the final analysis. Results: The study results showed a below unity risk for most of the devices. A slight increased risk of tumour was observed for computer screen use OR: 1.13 (95% CI: 0.43–3.02) and use of microwave oven OR: 1.21 (95% CI: 0.36–4.04). We also had chance to investigate ELF MFs exposure association with tumour. Where we observed elevated odd ratios in individuals living near electricity transformer stations, with a statistically significant risk OR: 2.16 (95% CI: 1.30–3.59). However, the risk was below unity (OR: 0.98) in individuals residing close to powerlines. Conclusion: The current study serves as a pilot study of primary data and will be helpful in future epidemiological research studies on the topic in the region.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/13/2/36extremely low frequencyelectromagnetic fieldhousehold electrical appliancespowerlinescancers
spellingShingle Shabana Noori
Abdul Aleem
Imrana Niaz Sultan
Afrasiab Khan Tareen
Hayat Ullah
Muhammad Waseem Khan
Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
Medical Sciences
extremely low frequency
electromagnetic field
household electrical appliances
powerlines
cancers
title Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
title_full Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
title_fullStr Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
title_full_unstemmed Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
title_short Use of Electrical Household Appliances and Risk of All Types of Tumours: A Case-Control Study
title_sort use of electrical household appliances and risk of all types of tumours a case control study
topic extremely low frequency
electromagnetic field
household electrical appliances
powerlines
cancers
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/13/2/36
work_keys_str_mv AT shabananoori useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy
AT abdulaleem useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy
AT imrananiazsultan useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy
AT afrasiabkhantareen useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy
AT hayatullah useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy
AT muhammadwaseemkhan useofelectricalhouseholdappliancesandriskofalltypesoftumoursacasecontrolstudy