Stillbirth and residential proximity to extremely low frequency power transmission lines: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: The relationship between electromagnetic field exposure and stillbirth has not been evaluated. We assessed associations between residential proximity to extremely low frequency power transmission lines and stillbirth across gestational age.

Methods: Data included singleton live births (N=514,826) and stillbirths (N=2033) for 1998-2007 in metropolitan areas of Québec, Canada.

Preterm birth during an extreme weather event in Québec, Canada: a "natural experiment".

To clarify the relationship between preterm birth (PTB) and extreme weather events, we evaluated PTB during a January 1998 ice storm that had led to a provincial emergency in the middle of winter in the province of Québec, Canada. Singleton live births for three periods (1993-1997, 1998, 1999-2003) were obtained (N = 855,320). PTB was defined as gestational age <37 completed weeks.

The relationship between residential proximity to extremely low frequency power transmission lines and adverse birth outcomes.

Background: Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields has been linked to adverse birth outcomes. This study evaluated whether maternal residential proximity to power transmission lines was associated with adverse birth outcomes.

Methods: Live singleton births in the Montréal and Québec census metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2004 were extracted from the Québec birth file (N=707,215).