Recent research has suggested that nonionizing radiation in the form of power-frequency magnetic fields may play some role in carcinogenesis in general and in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in particular. Much of the epidemiologic evidence is preliminary in nature and the methods of previous studies have been criticized. In order to further evaluate this hypothesis, a population-based case-control study of adult acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and residential exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields was carried out in western Washington state. Analyses were based on 114 cases who were newly diagnosed from 1981 to 1984 and identified from a population-based cancer registry, and 133 controls who were chosen from the study area by random digit dialing. Magnetic field exposure was estimated from external electrical wiring configurations within 140 ft (42.7 m) of each subject's residence. In addition, magnetic fields were measured inside the subject's residence at the time of interview. Neither the directly measured magnetic fields nor the surrogate values based on the wiring configurations were associated with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.

Contributing to the growing body of literature about older women's participation in sports, this ethnographic study of lawn bowlers in Perth, Western Australia, revealed a five-stage career path characterizing club members' involvement in this leisure activity. After first being introduced to bowls through other people and/or changing life circumstances, getting hooked on bowls represented the second stage in which women found themselves irresistibly drawn to this sport for multiple reasons. Playing bowls followed next as members fluidly moved between being social players, serious players and temporarily retired players variously engaged in different levels of competition. Some, but not all, then chose to assume organizational positions as committee members, officers, delegates, umpires and coaches. Inevitably, women, in the last stage, faced physical but not necessarily social retirement from bowls. In the end, bowls became the vehicle through which this particular group of women built community.

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This article describes the incorporation of service-learning in a sheltered-content course called American Society for Japanese college sophomores studying in the United States. By engaging students in activities designed to address community needs, service-learning holds great promise for furthering cognitive knowledge, cross-cultural awareness, and language competences. After profiling the academic program, a definition of service-learning is provided along with a review of the preparatory steps leading to a weekend of service. The exercises developed to help students make sense of their firsthand experiences and a critique of this instructional activity round out this discussion.

In a case-control study of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia in western Washington state, cigarette smokers experienced a twofold increased risk of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia compared with nonsmokers. Risk increased significantly with the number of pack-years smoked (p = 0.0008) and decreased with the number of years stopped smoking (p = 0.15). The increased risk in smokers appeared to be limited to those who inhaled into the chest. The authors suggest that further studies of this potential relation are warranted, especially since the prevalence of cigarette smoking is relatively high in our society.