Mobile phone radiation does not increase risk of brain cancer, WHO study finds

There is no link between mobile phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer, according to the latest review of global data commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Despite the significant increase in the use of wireless communication technologies, there has not been a proportional increase in the incidence of brain cancer, the WHO document says. This applies to both people who talk on the phone for a long time and those who have been using mobile devices for more than ten years. The analysis included 63 studies conducted from 1994 to 2022. The data was assessed by 11 researchers from 10 countries, and the Australian Radiation Protection Agency was also involved in the work.

The work assessed the impact of radio frequencies used in mobile phones, televisions, baby monitors and radars on the human body. No increased risks were identified in any of the cases. Brain cancer in adults and children, pituitary gland cancer, salivary gland cancer, leukemia, as well as risks associated with the use of mobile phones, base stations, transmitters and exposure to radio frequencies during professional activities were considered. Studies on other types of cancer will be presented separately.

The WHO and other international health agencies have also previously said there is no evidence of adverse health effects from radiation emitted by mobile phones, but have called for more research. The International Agency for Research on Cancer currently classifies phone radiation as “possibly carcinogenic” in Class 2B, a category assigned when a possible link cannot be ruled out. The WHO last published an assessment of the evidence linking mobile phones to brain cancer in 2011, and now the agency’s advisory group is calling for a review of the classification based on new data. WHO will officially publish its findings in the first quarter of 2025.