Cancer incidence in telecommunication and broadcasting workers in the United Kingdom: Preliminary analysis of the National Register of RF Workers

Objectives: There is a broadly acknowledged need for more robust research exploring the potential health effects of occupational radiofrequency radiation (RF) exposure. The National Register of RF Workers is a long-standing database consisting of workers that typically work outside and are occupationally exposed to RF in the telecommunication and broadcast industries in the United Kingdom. This work describes the initial preliminary analysis of the cohort comparing cancer incidence at multiple sites with that observed in the general population.

Methods: Cancer registration (incidence) details from NHS Digital were used and standardised registration rates (SRR) calculated as the ratio of observed to expected numbers of registrations expressed as a percentage. In calculating P-values and confidence intervals, it was assumed that registrations occurred following a Poisson distribution. All significance tests were two-tailed.

Results: The cohort comprised 1777 employees (1744 males and 33 females) Compared with national rates, all cancers combined are slightly below expectation (Observed 39, SRR 93). The only statistically significant finding is for an excess of skin cancer (excluding melanoma) (Observed 25, SRR 177, 95% CI 117 to 258, P < 0.01).

Conclusions: Amongst legitimate concerns over the health effects of long-term occupational exposure to RF in the telecommunication and broadcast sector it is important not to overlook the significant hazard of exposure to ultraviolet radiation in a workforce that predominantly works outside. There are several ways organisations might mitigate this impact including amending working hours during the summer months and culturally tailored education on the importance of individual preventative measures.