The potential impact of cell phone use on the brain has been a cause for concern for years. Mobile phones are often held against the head during use and emit radio waves.
Alarm bells went off in 2011 when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which depends on the World Health Organization (OMS), classified exposure to radio waves as a possible carcinogen for humans.
IARC clarified that its classification was largely based on limited evidence from observational studies in humans and noted that the evidence was inconclusive.
But the possibility of a carcinogenic effect was enough to generate numerous alarming headlines in the press linking cell phone use with brain cancer.
However, a new revision commissioned by WHO from studies conducted globally concluded that there is no evidence that cell phone use increases the risk of cancer.
The final analysis included 63 studies from 1994 to 2022, assessed by 11 researchers from 10 countries, including experts from the Australian government’s Radiation Protection Authority.
The new review “provides the strongest evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technologies are not a danger to human health,” its authors say. Photo: Getty Images
The new WHO-commissioned work was led by Ken Karipidis, deputy director of health impact assessment at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
“The IARC classification was based on previous observational studies in which people with brain cancer reported using a mobile phone more than they actually did”they write in an article in The Conversation Karipidis and Sarah Loughran, also an ARPANSA expert and author of the paper.
What the new review says about cell phone use
The new systematic review is based on a much larger data set than IARC’s 2011 assessment and includes more recent and more comprehensive studies, Australian experts say.
“This means that We can now be more certain that exposure to radio waves from mobile phones or wireless technologies is not associated with an increased risk of brain cancer.”.
“This systematic review provides the strongest evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technologies are not a danger to human health.”
The review considered more than 5,000 studies, but only included 63 in the final analysis. The authors clarify that the main reason for excluding studies was that they were “not relevant.”
The new assessment also considered possible radiation from cell phone antennas. Photo: Getty Images
“No association was found between mobile phone use and brain cancer, or any other type of head or neck cancer.“,” the authors write.
The researchers also analyzed factors such as time since first use, number and duration of calls. They also considered possible radiation from telephone antennas.
“There was also no association with cancer if a person used a mobile phone for ten or more years (long-term use). And the frequency with which they used it, whether based on the number of calls or the time spent on the phone, also made no difference.”
The authors note that these findings align with previous research.
And they show that although the use of wireless technologies has increased enormously in recent decades, There has been no increase in the incidence of brain cancers.
What happens now?
The findings of the new review are reassuring and imply that limits set by agencies such as the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) are safe.
The results “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,” Karipids and Loughran say.
But both experts clarify that it is important to continue research in this field.
“Technology is developing at a rapid pace. With this development comes the use of radio waves in different ways using different frequencies.. Therefore, it is essential that science continues to ensure that exposure to radio waves from these technologies remains safe.”
Despite the huge increase in the use of wireless technology, there has not been a corresponding increase in the incidence of cancers. Photo: Getty Images
How should we interpret the new finding?
“This new publication allows us to move from a cautious ‘possibly’ to a growing confidence that mobile phones are not increasing our risk.
It is not the end of the debate, but it is a step forward towards a more complete and evidence-based understanding.”, they write in a article Spanish experts Alberto Nájera López, professor of radiology and physical medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of Albacete, and Jesús González Rubio, associate professor of biostatistics at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
“Of course, this does not mean that we should not continue to investigate. Technology and mobile usage are constantly evolving and scientists will continue to monitor any changes in public health trends.”.
For Nájera López and González Rubio, the message should be clear: “Use your device in moderation if you prefer, but there is no solid evidence to worry about an increased chance of developing cancer. Science, like the device you carry in your pocket, is here to help you make informed decisions.”
One of the challenges now, according to Karipidis and Loughran, is that “This new research counters persistent misconceptions and information that exist about mobile phones and brain cancer.”
“There is no evidence of any established health effects from mobile phone-related exposure and that is a good thing.”
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