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Source-reviewed evidence brief

Power-line distance and childhood leukemia.

One Northern Italian case-control study found higher estimated odds among children living within 100 metres of a high-voltage line. The estimate was imprecise and does not prove that the magnetic field caused leukemia.

Written by Dr. Andrie S. Udal PhD, MSHDS, USMDPublished 3 September 2026
Homes at increasing distances from high-voltage power lines, with magnetic-field contours fading with distance
Illustration: field strength generally decreases with distance; it is not a measurement map.
Zone 1Under 100 m
Zone 2100–199 m
Zone 3200–399 m
Zone 4400 m or more
The study grouped each home by horizontal distance to the nearest power line of at least 132 kV. Distance is a proxy, not a personal magnetic-field dose.

The study included 182 children with leukemia and 726 matched controls, ages 0–15, in Modena and Reggio Emilia. Researchers assessed the home at diagnosis and adjusted for selected traffic, fuel, land-use, transformer, and demographic factors.

Adjusted result by distance band

The cards below report the study’s multivariable odds ratios for all childhood leukemias. An odds ratio of 1.0 is the reference. A confidence interval that crosses 1.0 does not exclude no association.

<100 mUnder 100 m
Adjusted odds ratio2.095% CI 0.8–5.0

The largest adjusted estimate, but based on few children and compatible with anything from lower to substantially higher odds.

8 cases / 15 controls
100–<200 m100–199 m
Adjusted odds ratio0.995% CI 0.4–2.0

No excess was evident in this band; the confidence interval remained wide.

7 cases / 33 controls
200–<400 m200–399 m
Adjusted odds ratio0.995% CI 0.5–1.6

The adjusted estimate was close to the distant reference group.

17 cases / 75 controls
≥400 m400 m or more
Adjusted odds ratio1.0Reference

This was the comparison group. It does not mean zero magnetic-field exposure or zero leukemia risk.

150 cases / 603 controls

What “harmful effect” means here

This was an observational association, not a demonstration of biological injury at a stated number of metres. The study cannot tell whether moving a particular home changes a child’s risk, and distance alone cannot reconstruct line current, wiring, time spent at home, or other field sources.

Supported

In this dataset, the adjusted estimate was highest for homes within 100 m of a high-voltage line.

Not supported

The paper does not establish a universal setback distance, an individual diagnosis, or a causal threshold.

Context

The authors note that ELF magnetic fields are classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic, based on limited human evidence.

Source and editorial note

  1. Malagoli C, et al. Residential exposure to magnetic fields from high-voltage power lines and risk of childhood leukemia. Environmental Research. 2023;232:116320. Read the open-access paper

Source review completed 3 September 2026 from the supplied paper. The illustration is explanatory and not to scale. No independent expert review is claimed. This page is general information, not medical, environmental, property, or legal advice.