A recent World Health Organisation-commissioned review of global published evidence has found no connection between mobile phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer. Despite the significant increase in wireless technology usage, the incidence of brain cancers has not risen correspondingly, according to the review published on Tuesday. This holds true even for individuals who engage in long phone calls or have used mobile phones for over ten years. The comprehensive analysis incorporated 63 studies from 1994-2022, evaluated by 11 investigators from 10 countries, including the Australian government’s radiation protection authority.
Co-author Mark Elwood, a professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, explained that the study assessed the effects of radiofrequency, which is used in mobile phones, TVs, baby monitors, and radar. “None of the major questions studied showed increased risks,” he stated. The review examined brain cancers in both adults and children, as well as pituitary gland, salivary gland, and leukemia cancers, and risks associated with mobile phone use, base stations, transmitters, and occupational exposure. Other cancer types will be reported separately.
This review follows similar previous work. The WHO and other international health bodies have previously stated that there is no definitive evidence of harmful health effects from mobile phone radiation, but have called for further research. Currently, it is classified as 'possibly carcinogenic' or class 2B by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a category used when a potential link cannot be ruled out. The agency's advisory group has urged for the classification to be re-evaluated as soon as possible given the new data since its last assessment in 2011.
