Bioelectromagnetics 27:473 ^ 478 (2006) Association Between HighVoltage Overhead Transmission Lines and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study Shin Yamazaki, 1 * Shigeru Sokejima, 2 Tetsuya Mizoue, 3 Akira Eboshida, 4 Michinori Kabuto, 5 Naohito Yamaguchi, 6 Suminori Akiba, 7 Shunichi Fukuhara, 8 and Hiroshi Nitta 1 1 Epidemiology and Exposure Assessment Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies,Tsukuba, Japan 2 Department of Public Health Policy, National Institute of Public Health,Wako, Japan 3 Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medical Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan 4 Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan 5 National Institute for Environmental Studies,Tsukuba, Japan 6 Department of Hygiene and Public Health II, School of Medicine, Tokyo Women’s Medical University,Tokyo, Japan 7 Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan 8 Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan We examined the association between residential proximity to 60 Hz high voltage (22–500 kV) overhead transmission lines (HVOTLs) and mental health (MH). The subjects were 223 mothers with a mean age of 37 years. The distance from the subject’s residence to the closest HVOTL was measured on a map. MH status was assessed by the SF-36 Health Survey, which was scored on a 0–100 point scale, and an individual with a score of 52 points or less was defined as having poor MH. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between the distance from the subjects’ residence to the closest HVOTL and MH status. The prevalence of poor MH was 15%. Among the 223 subjects, 10 lived within 100 m of a HVOTL. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) for poor MH among those who lived 101–300 m or within 100 m from HVOTL were 1.29 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.35–10.13) and 1.87 (95% CI: 0.35–10.13), respectively, against the reference category (300þ m). MH status was not significantly associated with the distance between the subject’s residence and the closest HVOTL. Bioelectromagnetics 27:473– 478, 2006. ß 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Key words: anxiety; depression; line proximity INTRODUCTION Exposure to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMF) emanating from the generation, transmission, and use of electricity is a ubiquitous part of modern life and there has been concern that they might have adverse health effects. The most intensive epidemiologic effort has concerned childhood malig- nancy, especially leukemia, but there has also been considerable research on possible associations of occupational exposure to EMF with cancer in adults, with cardiovascular disease, and with neurological/ psychological disease in adults [Ahlbom et al., 2001]. As to whether exposure to EMF is associated with the development of neurological/psychological disease, ß 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. —————— Grant sponsor: Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. *Correspondence to: Shin Yamazaki, Epidemiology and Exposure Assessment Section, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan. E-mail: yamazaki.shin@nies.go.jp Received for review 22 August 2005; Final revision received 23 January 2006 DOI 10.1002/bem.20227 Published online 10 April 2006 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).