Gaby
Mobile phone users often hold their devices close to their heads. And these phones, by the way, are known for their radiofrequency emissions. For years, these two factors have raised concerns among scientists who suspected that these popular gadgets might increase the risk of brain cancer.
However, numerous studies have shown that there is no connection between mobile phone radio waves and brain cancer or overall health. The World Health Organization (WHO) decided to clarify this issue once and for all. They commissioned a large-scale study involving researchers from 10 countries. A powerful team analyzed the results of 5,000 previous studies on this topic, with findings published between 1994 and 2022.
Where Did Doubts About Phone Safety Come From?
In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of WHO, classified radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen for humans. The significance of this classification was largely misunderstood, leading to increased public concern.
The IARC’s classification of radio waves as a potential carcinogen was primarily based on limited observational data. While such studies are valuable tools in scientific research, their results can often be biased.
In this case, the IARC classification was based on observational studies in which brain cancer patients reported frequent mobile phone use.
What Did the Authors of the New Global Study Discover?
Meanwhile, a new study reported by ScienceAlert represents a systematic review that provides the most compelling evidence to date that radio waves from wireless technology pose no health risks to humans.
The final analysis was based on 63 studies out of the 5,000 reviewed. It demonstrated that there is no link between mobile phone use and brain cancer or any other type of cancer.
Researchers also found no connection between mobile phone use and cancer, even for individuals who had been using the device for ten years or more (i.e., in cases of long-term use). How often a person used their phone and how much time they spent with it also made no difference.
Importantly, these findings align with the results of many previous studies. Scientists also showed that while the use of wireless technology has significantly increased over the past few decades, there has been no corresponding rise in brain cancer incidence.
Mobile phones emit low-level radio waves, and there is no evidence of their negative impact on human health.
The results of the study were published in the journal Environment International.
