"The authors recommend continuing with epidemiological surveillance, especially in relation to new technologies such as 5G."
Study on Cellphone Use and Cancer Risk
Cellphone users around the world can breathe a sigh of relief—your device isn't going to give you cancer. At least, not according to a new extensive study by the World Health Organization into the potential health effects of radio wave exposure.
The review analyzed 63 studies from 22 different countries between 1994 and 2022 and found no association between cellphone use and head cancer, putting an end to an enduring debate about the safety of our hand-held devices.
"Worries about the health effects of new technology are common and tend to increase when a new technology is adopted widely or adopted quickly," Keith Petrie, a professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at University of Auckland, New Zealand, said in a statement.
The investigation explored associations with six different types of cancer—three types affecting the brain and cancers of the pituitary gland, salivary glands, and leukemia. The global team—led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency—also analyzed trends in brain cancers over the past few decades, in association with the rise of cellphone use.
"These studies showed no major increases," Mark Elwood, honorary professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Auckland and one of the study's co-authors, said in a statement. "Similarly, we found no increased risks of leukemia or brain cancers in children in relationship to radio or TV transmitters or cellphone base stations."
Due to its recent introduction, there is not enough data available to draw firm conclusions about the safety of 5G networks. However, Elwood said that, from what we have seen so far, they are unlikely to pose a threat to public health.
"There are no major studies yet of 5G networks, but there are studies of radar, which has similar high frequencies; these do not show an increased risk," he said.
Alberto Nájera, a professor in physics at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain who was not involved in the study, said that the authors' findings were robust and well supported.
"The authors have been meticulous in assessing and adjusting for potential confounders in the individual studies reviewed," Nájera, who is also the scientific director of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Radio Frequencies and Health of the Official College of Telecommunications Engineers, said in a statement.
"The main implications of this study are that, according to the best available evidence to date, exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, such as those produced by mobile phones or telephone antennas, does not appear to significantly increase the risk of developing cancer."
These findings also align with previous research from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency that there has been no significant rise in the incidence of brain cancers since the introduction and expansion of wireless technology.
However, Nájera added: "As always in science, the authors recommend continuing with epidemiological surveillance, especially in relation to new technologies such as 5G, as the evidence is still limited and some uncertainties persist; for instance, regarding long-term exposures and in more susceptible population subgroups."
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency will continue to study the effects of these devices, and 5G networks, as well as expanding their research efforts to explore the relationships with other types of cancer.
"We are monitoring new studies published since our main cutoff, December 2022," Elwood said. "There have been several, including the first report on cancer from the COSMOS international cohort study, with over 250,000 participants. These studies are in general consistent with our conclusions."
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References
Karipidis, K., Baaken, D., Loney, T., Blettner, M., Brzozek, C., Elwood, M., Narh, C., Orsini, N., Röösli, M., Silva Paulo, M., Lagorio, S. (2024) The effect of exposure to radio-frequency fields on cancer risk in the general and working population: a systematic review of human observational studies – Part I: most researched outcomes. Environment International.
Pandora Dewan