A COMPREHENSIVE review led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found no significant connection between mobile phone usage or proximity to mobile towers and the development of brain or head cancers. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) conducted the study, analysing over 5,000 research papers and 63 observational studies published between 1994 and 2022.
According to the review, radiofrequency (RF) and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure from mobile phone use ‘likely does not increase the risk’ of various types of cancers affecting the brain, ears, meninges, and pituitary gland. This conclusion applies to both adults and children. The researchers also assessed the impact of RF exposure from other consumer devices such as televisions and baby monitors.
The widespread use of mobile phones has grown exponentially since their introduction over 40 years ago, reaching near-ubiquity in developed nations and increasing rapidly in developing regions. However, despite this surge in usage, the study found no rising trend in cancer rates that could be linked to mobile phone radiation.
Ken Karipidis, Associate Director at ARPANSA and the lead author of the review, explained to ABC News that brain tumour rates in Australia have remained stable among both men and women since the introduction of mobile phones in the 1980s. He emphasised that even prolonged mobile phone use, defined as more than 10 years, did not show any increased risk of brain cancer.
The study also explored RF exposure from mobile and broadcast towers. Like mobile phones, these structures were found to have no link to cancer development. This finding addresses lingering concerns from 2011, when the WHO and other health organisations classified radiofrequency exposure as a potential carcinogen, sparking widespread concern and prompting further investigation.
Overall, the WHO-backed review reassures the public that mobile phone use and exposure to mobile towers are unlikely to contribute to cancer risks, underscoring that modern technology, when used within regulatory safety limits, does not pose the health hazards once feared.
