Effect of Occupational Exposure to Radar Radiation on Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Microwave radiation is one of the most growing environmental workplace factors that exposes too many workers in the various workplaces. Regard to concerns about cancer incidence in these workers and lack of systematic or meta-analytic studies about this object, so, we conducted a meta-analysis to acquire an understanding of the association between cancer risk and occupational exposure to radar radiation. Methods: A systematic search was carried out on case-control, cohort and clinical control trial studies that published in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus and Google scholar databases that accomplished from March 2017 to March 2018 and updated on 30 September, 2018 in English and Persian articles without time limit in publication date. Keywords were selected based on PICO principle and collected from MeSH database. After removal of duplicated studied, taking into inclusion and exclusion criteria, the process of screening was carried out and data were extracted after preparation of the full text of included articles. Article collection was completed by manually searching for a reference list of eligible studies. For quality assessment of included studies, Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used. Results: a total of 533 studies was found in the first step of literature search, only 6 were included with 53,008 sample size according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Estimated pooled random effects size analysis showed no significant increasing effect of occupational exposure to radar radiation on mortality rate (MR=0.81, 95%CI: 0.78, 0.83) and relative risk (RR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.99, P <0.0001) of cancer with a significant heterogeneity between the selected studies. Conclusions: In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis study have shown no significant increase in overall mortality ratio and cancer risk ratio from occupational exposure to the radar frequency of workers. But, these results are not conclusive. As regards to some limitation such as fewer numbers of included studies, lack of data about exposure characterizations and demographic characterizations in this meta-analysis, this result is not certain and conclusive. It is recommended to conduct future studies.

Cancer Incidence and Mortality Among Fighter Aviators in the United States Air Force

“…French Navy personnel working near radar systems had similar all-cause and cancer-specific mortality as their unexposed peers, 32 and a meta-analysis concluded that occupational exposure to radar conveys no significant cancer risk if proper preventive measures are followed. 33 US Air Force ground crew are routinely exposed to ambient benzene, 34 an established leukemogen that may increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 35 However, among the most highly exposed group of fuel maintenance workers, pre-work breath concentrations in smokers exceeded post-work concentrations in non-smokers, 34 suggesting that recreational exposure to tobacco combustion may confound the relationship between occupational exposure to jet fuel combustion and cancer outcomes.…”

“…Based on studies in more vulnerable military occupations, electromagnetic frequency and aromatic hydrocarbons are unlikely carcinogens for fighter aviators. French Navy personnel working near radar systems had similar all-cause and cancer-specific mortality as their unexposed peers, 32 and a meta-analysis concluded that occupational exposure to radar conveys no significant cancer risk if proper preventive measures are followed 33 . US Air Force ground crew are routinely exposed to ambient benzene, 34 an established leukemogen that may increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma 35 .…”