A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO), after 28 years of review, says that mobile phones do not necessarily pose a risk.
A systematic review of the possible health effects of exposure to radio waves has shown that mobile phones are not linked to brain cancer. The review was commissioned by the World Health Organization and published in the journal Environment International.
Mobile phones are often held close to the head during use and emit radio waves, a type of non-ionizing radiation. These two factors are largely the reason why the idea that mobile phones could cause brain cancer arose.
The possibility that cell phones may cause cancer has been a long-standing concern. Cell phones (and wireless technology in general) are a major part of our daily lives, so it has been vital for science to address the safety of exposure to radio waves from these devices.
Over the years, the scientific consensus has remained firm: there is no association between radio waves from mobile phones and brain cancer or general health.
Radiation as a possible carcinogen
Despite the consensus, occasional research studies have been published suggesting the possibility of harm.
In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified exposure to radio waves as possibly carcinogenic to humans. The meaning of this classification was widely misunderstood and led to increased concern.
IARC is part of the World Health Organization. Its classification of radio waves as possible carcinogens was largely based on limited evidence from observational studies in humans. Also known as epidemiological studies, these studies look at the rate of disease and how it may be caused in human populations.
Observational studies are the best tool researchers have to investigate long-term health effects in humans, but the results can often be biased.
The IARC classification was based on previous observational studies in which people with brain cancer reported using their mobile phone more than they actually did. One example of this is the so-called INTERPHONE study. This new systematic review of observational studies in humans is based on a much larger data set compared to what IARC examined in 2011.
It includes more recent and more comprehensive studies, meaning we can now be more confident that exposure to radio waves from mobile phones or wireless technologies is not associated with an increased risk of brain cancer.
Mobile phones and brain cancer risk
The new review is part of a series of systematic reviews commissioned by the World Health Organization to take a closer look at the potential health effects associated with exposure to radio waves.
This systematic review provides the strongest evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technologies are not a danger to human health.
This is the most comprehensive review on this topic: more than 5,000 studies were considered, of which 63, published between 1994 and 2022, were included in the final analysis. The main reason for excluding the studies was that they were not really relevant, which is very common in search results for systematic reviews.
No association was found between mobile phone use and brain cancer or any other head or neck cancer.
There was also no association with cancer if a person used a mobile phone for ten or more years (long-term use). Frequency of use, whether based on the number of calls or the time spent talking on the phone, also had no influence.
Importantly, these findings are consistent with previous research showing that while the use of wireless technologies has increased dramatically in recent decades, there has been no increase in the incidence of brain cancers.
Overall, the results are very reassuring. They mean that our national and international safety limits are protective. Mobile phones emit low-level radio waves below these safety limits and there is no evidence that exposure to them has an impact on human health.
Nevertheless, it is important that research continues. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, and with it radio waves are used in different ways and at different frequencies. It is therefore essential that science continues to ensure that exposure to radio waves from these technologies is safe.
The challenge we now face is to ensure that this new research counters persistent misconceptions and misinformation about mobile phones and brain cancer.
There is no evidence of proven health effects from exposure to mobile phones, and that is a good thing. (The Conversation)
