There is “high certainty” cellphone radiation causes cancer in animals, according to a new systematic meta-study from the World Health Organization.
The study, published in the journal Environmental International, concludes that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by cellphones and other wireless devices are linked to two particular kinds of cancers in animals: malignant gliomas in the brain and malignant schwannomas, a type of nerve cancer in the heart.
The study also links RF-EMF to rare liver and adrenal-gland tumours.
The study is a systematic meta-study—a review of existing studies—and considered the results of more than 50 different studies on the effect of RF-EMF on animals. It forms part of a broader WHO review into the possible health effects of wireless radiation.
In response to the study, Dr Ron Melnick, Ph.D, chair of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) and a former senior toxicologist in the National Toxicology Program (NTP), said in a statement:
“The evidence is now clear—cell phone radiation can cause cancer in animals in concordance with the tumor types identified in human studies of mobile phone users. As animal studies are essential for predicting cancer risk in humans, governments should develop science-based safety standards to protect human health.”
The Defender notes that that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hasn’t revised its exposure recommendations for humans in nearly 30 years.
In 2021, it was ordered to explain how its limits adequately protect humans, and especially children, but so far the Commission has avoided doing so.
The Defender asked the FCC when it planned to comply with the court order, but received no response.