This letter discusses a study on occupational and residential exposure to electromagnetic fields and risk of brain tumors. The author notes that the study found a higher than expected female to male ratio for meningioma cases. Specifically, the ratio in the study was 8.6 females to 1 male, whereas typical worldwide ratios are around 2-3 females to 1 male. This suggests the risk may have been entirely a female risk. The author calls for publishing risk by gender from the study to better understand these findings.

1. ForPeerReview
Letter to the Editor Re Occupational and Residential
Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields and Risk of Brain
Tumours in adults: a Case-Control Study in Gironde, France
Journal: International Journal of Cancer
Manuscript ID: Draft
Wiley - Manuscript type: Letter to the Editor
Date Submitted by the
Author:
n/a
Complete List of Authors: Morgan, L Lloyd; Environmental Health Trust; Environmental Health
Trust
Key Words: meninigoma, female to male ratio
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
International Journal of Cancer

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Rough Draft
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Letter to the Editor Re Occupational and Residential Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields
and Risk of Brain Tumours in adults: a Case-Control Study in Gironde, France
L. Lloyd Morgan*
* Environmental Health Trust, 2022 Francisco Street, Berkeley, CA 94708, USA;
bilovsky@aol.com, +510 841-4362.
I found, Occupational and Residential Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields and Risk
of Brain Tumours in adults: a Case-Control Study in Gironde, France [1], an important
study whose findings, as reported raise public health concerns. But I also wish to point
out what may have been missed in this study.
Table 1 report the number of meningioma cases by gender (seven males and 60
females). The female to male ratio is 8.6. Worldwide, it is well known that there are an
excess of female meningioma cases. In the United States the age-adjusted female to male
ratio of meningioma is 2.15 [2].
While the ratio varies by age, the peak ratio is 3.15 among 30-44 year olds [3]. This
suggests that the age range of meningioma cases cannot explain the female to male ratio
found in this study.
Table 3 reports a significant risk of meningioma for both genders from occupational
exposure to ELF (OR=3.02, 95% CI=1.10 to 8.25) and a borderline significant risk of
meningioma for both genders from environmental exposure, <100 m from power lines
(OR=2.99, 95% CI=0.86 to 10.40, p=0.079). Given the female to male meningioma case
ratio, it would appear that the risk may have been entirely a female risk and that this risk
would have been further elevated if risk by gender had been reported.
Should this be true, the authors should publish an erratum to their study reporting the
risk of meningioma by gender, and should also publish risk by gender in future planned
studies.
References
1. Baldi I, Coureau G, Jaffré A, Gruber A, Ducamp S, Provost D, Lebailly P, Vital A,
Loiseau H, Salamon R. Occupational and Residential Exposure to Electromagnetic
Fields and Risk of Brain Tumours in adults: a Case-Control Study in Gironde, France.
Int J Cancer. 2010 Nov 12. [Epub ahead of print]
2. CBTRUS (2010). CBTRUS Statistical Report: Primary Brain and Central Nervous
System Tumors Diagnosed in the United States in 2004-2006. Source: Central Brain
Tumor Registry of the United States, Hinsdale, IL USA (derived from Table 13).
www.cbtrus.org.
3. Wiemels J, Wrensch M, Claus E B. Epidemiology and etiology of meningioma. J
Neurooncol (2010) 99:307–314. (the cited reference for ratio by age should be
reference 9 per J. Wiemels).
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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
International Journal of Cancer
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