Statement by Devra Davis PhD, MPH on the U.S. Government National Toxicology Program Ceasing Research on Cell Phone Radiation 

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) announced this month, that it will no longer study the issue of cell phone radiofrequency (RF) radiation, despite its completion of $30 million dollar animal studies that found cancer and DNA damage. 

NIEHS scientists had previously stated they were conducting follow-up research to the studies finding cancer and DNA damage which according to the NTPs 2023 fact sheet would: 

• determine the impact of RFR exposure on behavior and stress, including the real-time assessment of activity and response to system-generated noise and RFR signals. 
• conduct physiological monitoring, including evaluation of heart rate. 
• investigate whether RFR induces heating. 
• further evaluate whether RFR exposure causes DNA damage. 

However it is unknown if such studies were performed and the results of these “follow-up studies” have not been publicly shared, nor published.  Importantly, the NTP now states that no more research is planned:  

NIEHS scientists conducted follow-up research to better understand some of the findings seen in the earlier RFR rodent studies 

A novel small-scale RFR exposure system was developed. The researchers tested the new exposure system using in vivo rodent studies.

The research was technically challenging and more resource-intensive than expected. No additional RFR studies are planned.

Devra Davis PhD, MPH, President of the Environmental Health Trust stated: 

The government’s decision to stop funding research on cell phone radiation is consistent with the Chinese proverb  “If you don’t want to know, don’t ask.”

 

The US government has a variation of that in policy of, “don’t ask, don’t tell”. If you don’t want to know whether cell tower  radiation is having a biological impact, stop doing the research!

 

The United States has been asleep at the switch and is missing a very important opportunity to provide protection to public health and the environment.

 

In fact, the U.S. government’s own studies showed cancer and DNA damage from cell phone radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure. 

Infertility clinics ask men what their habits are with respect to cell phones and other wireless devices. They tell them to take these phones off their bodies and out of their pockets because there is evidence with human sperm, of a dose response relationship, where the greater the exposure, the lower the sperm count, and the poorer the sperm quality. This has been repeatedly shown in studies with human sperm done under controlled conditions, as well as cross sectional studies. In addition to that, experiments have found damage to the testis of rodents that are exposed prenatally to wireless radiation.

 

In fact, whether the government stops doing the research or not, there is a massive study underway because we have billions of people being exposed to ever increasing levels of wireless radiation throughout the world. Millions of American children are exposed every day in classrooms. The only problem is there is no control group anymore, which will make it difficult, but not impossible, to discern the impacts of wireless radiation.

 

The Indian National Medical Research Council has produced a series of studies showing effects on vision, hearing, as well as behavior and other damage to the nervous system, from people who are exposed, particularly early in life, to cell phone and other wireless radiation. 

 

Environmental Health Trust has consistently called for the establishment of a major fund to provide for training, monitoring, and research, based on what we now know about the biological impact of this radiation on human health and the increasing evidence of damage to wildlife, and the environment.  This includes damaging effects on honeybees, specifically from the higher 5G frequencies as well as impacts to tree canopy and plant growth. 

 

Wireless radiation appears to affect DNA. DNA can be found in every living thing on this planet, whether plants or grasses or seeds or insects or birds, and ultimately humans.

 

It is the ultimate arrogance and folly to stop doing research on this major growing environmental pollutant, precisely when we have ample evidence of harm. Based on the current body of scientific evidence, my colleagues and I are about to publish a major new article in Environment which addresses the new science on this topic and calls for precaution and immediate policies to reduce public and environmental exposure. 

 

Based on this science, the new edition of my book Disconnect, is also calling for one penny a device fee, on every wireless device, to be paid by every owner, every internet provider, and every manufacturer.  One penny a month. Would you give a penny a month to find out whether there’s an effect? 

 

We think it’s the time for the USA  to support a massive research and training program.  Monitoring and oversight for compliance is also needed. In France, such a program exists on a very small scale. But unlike the United States, which relies only on testing of a single phone before it’s marketed, the French government monitors cell phone radiation emissions after they are marketed. Several years ago they when they tested hundreds of cellphones, that nine out of every 10 phones tested exceeded the EU’s  outdated radiation limits. Since then 46 cell phone models have been  pulled or software updated from the market. Most recently, the French government ordered the Apple 12 phone not to be sold. And, Apple responded saying that the excessive amounts of radiation from their phones could be reduced by a simple software fix which they instituted within two weeks of receiving this notice from the French government.

The updated 2024 NTP factsheet stating no additional research is planned by the NTP also detailed the cancer and DNA findings from its studies stating: 

Did NTP find health effects other than cancer?

NTP found lower body weights among newborn rats and their mothers, especially when exposed to high levels of RFR during pregnancy and lactation, yet these animals grew to normal size. They also found that RFR exposure was associated with an increase in DNA damage. DNA damage, if not repaired, can potentially lead to tumors. Specifically, they found RFR exposure was linked with significant increases in DNA damage in the frontal cortex of the brain in male mice, the blood cells of female mice, and the hippocampus of male rats.

What did the studies find?

In studies of high levels of RFR, like that used in 2G and 3G cellphones, NTP found:

• Clear evidence of an association with tumors in the hearts of male rats. The tumors were malignant schwannomas.
• Some evidence of an association with tumors in the brains of male rats. The tumors were malignant gliomas.
• Some evidence of an association with tumors in the adrenal glands of male rats. The tumors were benign, malignant, or complex combined pheochromocytoma.

 

Further NIEHS researchers along with researchers of the Italian Ramazzini Institute just published a paper “Genetic profiling of rat gliomas and cardiac schwannomas from life-time radiofrequency radiation exposure study using a targeted next-generation sequencing gene panel”published in PLOS ONE which found that the gliomas and cardiac schwannomas in rats resulting from lifetime exposure to low dose far field RF radiation (the Ramazzini study mimicking cell tower/base station exposures)  are morphologically similar to low grade human gliomas and that about 25% of the mutations seen in these tumors have corresponding alterations in homologs of human cancer genes.

“ The US. government needs to step up and address this issue with a comprehensive research, oversight and monitoring program instead of ceasing all research!” stated Theodora Scarato, Executive Director of Environmental Health Trust. She pointed to the hundreds of experts worldwide  recommending policies that reduce wireless radiation to the public and environment. Scarato pointed to recommendations of the Santa Clara Medical Association Best Practices for Technology in Schools, the New Hampshire Commission and the EMF Scientist Appeal. 

Learn how to reduce your exposure.