There is no link between mobile phone use and brain cancer, according to a comprehensive review of studies commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO).
An international research team examined over 5,000 studies, ultimately including 63 published between 1994 and 2022 in their final analysis. Led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), the review found no increase in brain cancer cases despite a significant rise in wireless technology use over the past two decades.
Published in Environment International, this analysis is described as the most thorough and up-to-date assessment of the evidence. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a WHO agency, had previously classified radio wave exposure as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” based on limited evidence linking wireless phone use to an increased risk of glioma, a type of brain cancer. However, the IARC’s classification was based on a smaller dataset compared to this recent review.
Lead researcher Ken Karipidis from ARPANSA stated that this systematic review, which includes a larger and more recent dataset, confidently concludes that radio wave exposure from mobile phones does not pose a human health hazard. The review found no association between mobile phone use and an increased risk of glioma or other brain cancers, including meningioma, pituitary tumors, and pediatric brain tumors.
The researchers also recommended future studies to investigate the potential effects of 5G mobile networks, as current research has not yet directly examined the health impacts of these higher frequency technologies.
