Greenland's findings will be published in the November issue of Epidemiology. The Ahlbom and Greenland papers reflect a growing consensus on the apparent association between magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. But there is no consensus on what those data mean. A consensus is emerging on EMFs and childhood leukemia that is nothing short of remarkable. In particular, it is far stronger than it was in the early 1990s, when newspapers covered the story on the front page.
Today there is less debate over whether there is an association and more about what it means.
Even if the link is not due to bias, Dr. Martha Linet of the National Cancer Institute favors focusing research on other possible causes. Linet is right to emphasize how little we know about children's cancer, but it is wrong to think that this makes the EMF childhood leukemia connection unimportant. First, while most children do not live in high-EMF environments, there are millions around the world who do. Second, the idea that there may be a health effect at four milligauss is a scientific bombshell, and this cannot be left unresolved. Third, public opposition to new power lines is an expensive problem for the electric utility industry - and it is not going to go away.