A research study paid for by a power company found no increase in cancer rates among utility workers exposed to electromagnetic fields.
Other studies have linked the fields, known as EMFs, to increased risks of leukemia and brain cancer, particularly among children living near power lines and transformers.The study by Southern California Edison and the University of California-Los Angeles was published in Monday's issue of the journal Epidemiology.
It examined EMF exposure and health records of 36,221 company employees between 1960 and 1988.
Researchers didn't find an excessive number of cancers among any group, including 12,000 employees with high exposure to the invisible fields.
University of North Carolina epidemiologist David Savitz, who conducted a study that found high rates of brain cancer among electrical workers, praised the new research as "a well-designed and well-conducted study."
"It doesn't negate the evidence that precedes it," Savitz said. "It isn't the final word on the issue, but it is an important study in the sense that it is more sophisticated than previous studies."
Some researchers may not trust the study because a utility company paid for it.