Meta-study : No evidence that cellphones cause brain cancer

Time to take off the tin foil hat: A review of 28 years of research into the health effects of radio wave exposure from cellphones has found no evidence to link the handhelds to brain cancer, or negative effects on health more generally. 

The findings, published recently in Environment International and commissioned and partially funded by the World Health Organization (WHO), looked at 63 studies published between 1994 and 2022 from 22 countries.

Various types of brain and head cancers in adults and children, as well as whole-body exposure from proximity to broadcast antenna and base stations and occupational radio frequency/electromagnetic field (RF-EMF), were looked at as part of the meta-study. In no case did the researchers find a link between radio wave exposure from mobile and wireless devices and brain cancer. Note that RF-EMF is part of the non-ionizing radiation region of the electromagnetic spectrum, making it inherently and substantially less dangerous than ionizing radiation.

There remains no evidence of any established health effects from exposures related to mobile phones, and that is a good thing

“This systematic review provides the strongest evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technologies are not a hazard to human health,” Sarah Loughran, director of radiation research and advice at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), and assistant director of health impact assessment Ken Karipidis, wrote in The Conversation about the research.

Karipidis is listed as the lead author of the research paper reporting the findings. 

“No association between mobile phone use and brain cancer, or any other head or neck cancer, was found,” the pair noted, adding that prolonged use for more than a decade didn’t change the matter, nor did total cumulative time spent using a cellular phone. 

Additionally, Loughran and Karipidis note, the meta-study findings track with previous research indicating that, despite a rise in the prevalence of wireless technology and increased RF-EMF noise around us, there’s been no rise in brain cancer rates like one might expect. Other studies reached similar conclusions nearly a decade ago.

“The challenge we now face is making sure this new research counteracts the persistent misconceptions and misinformation out there regarding mobile phones and brain cancer,” the pair asserted. “There remains no evidence of any established health effects from exposures related to mobile phones, and that is a good thing.”

Dispelling the myths

It was a little more than 13 years ago when a previous panel of WHO scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) formally classified RF-EMF as a potential carcinogen – a conclusion Loughran and Karipidis argued was reached in error. 

“The IARC classification relied on previous observational studies where people with brain cancer reported they used a mobile phone more than they actually did,” the pair wrote. Other conclusions were “largely based on limited evidence from human observational studies.” 

After reviewing the corpus of modern evidence, it appears there’s little evidence to support that classification, or the fear smartphone radiation engenders in some people – albeit with cautious confidence. 

The studies, the researchers conclude in their paper, demonstrated “moderate certainty” that near-field RF-EMF from cellphones “likely does not increase the risk of glioma, meningioma, acoustic neuroma, pituitary tumors, and salivary gland tumors in adults, or of paediatric brain tumors.”

Similarly, for near-field RF-EMF from cordless phones, “there was low certainty evidence that it may not increase the risk of glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma.” As for the effects of cellular base stations on people’s bodies, “there was moderate certainty evidence that it likely does not increase childhood leukaemia risk and low certainty evidence that it may not increase the risk of paediatric brain tumors.”

We’ve reached out to Karipidis to learn more about his team’s findings, and haven’t yet heard back. The duo recommend further studies – especially as new parts of the spectrum are opened for communications – rather than assume this matter is done and dusted, which is scientifically sensible.

“Technology is developing at a rapid pace. With this development comes the use of radio waves in different ways using different frequencies,” Loughran and Karipidis noted. “It is therefore essential that science continues to ensure radio wave exposure from these technologies remains safe.”

For now, though, you can probably turn that 5G back on without fears about the government beaming cancer into your noggin. ®