Cell Phone Radiation
The Scientific Evidence
An ever growing body of evidence shows that cell phone and wireless radiation – at even very low levels- can harm our health in a number of different ways. There is no doubt that there are harmful biological effects, documented by scientific research.
- In 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) classified cell phone radiation as a Class 2 B Carcinogen “possibly carcinogenic to humans”—in the same category as lead, engine exhaust, DDT, and jet fuel. The evidence has increased since then.
- Several publications assert that the current body of evidence has significantly increased and cell phone radiation is proven Group 1 human carcinogen (Miller et al 2018, Peleg et al 2018 Carlberg and Hardell 2017, Belpomme et al 2018,)
- A Yale study funded by the American Cancer Society found elevated thyroid cancer risk in heavy cell phone users with specific genetic susceptibilities (Luo et al. 2020).
- Read Wireless technologies, non-ionizing electromagnetic fields and children: Identifying and reducing health risks about wireless impacts to children, co-authored by EHT president Dr. Davis. “We conclude that consistent with advice in pediatric radiology, an approach that recommends that microwave radiation exposures be As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) seems sensible and prudent, and that an independently-funded training, research and monitoring program should be carried out on the long term physical and psychological impacts of rapidly changing technological milieu, including ways to mitigate impacts through modifications in hardware and software.”
- The Environmental Working Group published a landmark study analyzing the findings of tumor and heart damage in the National Toxicology Program study and concluded that FCC limits should be strengthened by 200 to 400 times to protect children according to current risk assessment guidelines (Uche 2021).
- Research has found women who carry cellphones in the bra have elevated breast cancer risk (West et al 2013, Shih et al 2020).
- The 10-year $30 million National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) Studies of Cell Phone Radiation found that chronic exposure to RFR was associated with “clear evidence” of cancer in RFR-exposed male rats. In addition, exposed animals had significantly more DNA damage, heart damage and low birth weight.
- The Ramazzini Institute study found the same types of cancers the NTP found, yet at much lower levels (levels lower than FCC limits as the Ramazzini study was designed to replicate base station/ cell tower exposures). The NTP and Ramazzini findings in animals are further supported by the research on humans that found people who use cell phones over 10 years “heavily” (defined in these studies as around 30 minutes per day) developed increased tumors—schwannomas and glioblastomas—the same cell type as found in the NTP and Ramazzini Institute studies.
- A major research study found decreased memory among teenagers with higher cell phone exposures to the brain after one year of repeated exposure. This study replicated previous findings. A major NIH study found that even very low levels of microwave radiation from cell phones can change brain function. Another study on 4G technology showed that the radiation affected brain neural activity not only in the closer brain region but also in the remote region, including the left hemisphere of the brain.
- Experimental research shows that animals exposed prenatally to cell phone radiation develop more damage to critical parts of the brain involved in thinking and impulse control–the hippocampus and cerebellum.
- In 2012, Yale research demonstrated that when pregnant mice were exposed to cell phone signals, their offspring had much greater levels of hyperactivity, impaired memory and impaired brain development in the part of the brain linked to ADHD.
- Several research reviews indicate reproduction problems from cell phones. Systematic reviews associate RF-EMF with impacts to sperm ( Kim et al., 2021, Yu et al., 2021) and decreased testosterone (Maluin et al., 2021) leading many researchers to conclude “it is recommended to keep the cell phone away from the pelvis as much as possible (Hassanzadeh-Taheri et al, 2021).
