Wireless Benefits, Health and Safety

A World Health Organization-commissioned international systematic review of 5,000 studies from 22 countries over a nearly 30-year period was released in 2024. Focusing on 63 reports, the analysis found that cell phone and cell tower radiofrequency waves (RF) had no link to brain or childhood cancer risk. Persuasively, as the use of cell phones has skyrocketed, cases of brain cancer have remained steady.

Published by the Journal of National Cancer Institute in 2022, a study conducted with more than 700,000 women over 15 years concluded that “[o]ur findings support the accumulating evidence that cellular telephone use under usual conditions does not increase brain tumor incidence

According to the Health Physics Society, the RF levels from cell towers are far below US and other regulatory safety limits.

And, a recent international study published by IEEE measured the power density in the vicinity of 122 international base stations with 5G. The study showed that regardless of the environment, over 90% of the measurements are below 0.2% of the limits of international exposure guidelines and 99% of the measurements are below 2% of the limits.

In 2019, the IEEE, a leading engineering standards organization, published updated safety limits for exposure to electric, magnetic, and radio-frequency (RF) energy. The limits were developed by its International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety, which spent years reviewing the research. The goal was to provide “science-based exposure criteria to protect against established adverse health effects in humans.”
 
After reviewing the evidence, the committee reached three main conclusions:
-No reproducible harm at low levels. Studies have not consistently shown adverse health effects from low-level RF exposure too weak to heat the body, such as RF from phones or cell towers.
-No credible sign of harm from long-term exposure. Chronic exposure below the IEEE standard’s limits showed no credible indication of adverse effects.
– No established pathway to harm. Scientists have not identified a confirmed way that exposure at these levels could cause health effects.

The journal for National Academy of Sciences published research findings entitled “5G-exposed human skin cells do not respond with altered gene expression and methylation profiles.” The study states that “results show with great clarity that in human skin cells, even under worst-case conditions, no significant changes in gene expression or methylation patterns are observed after exposure” and “the results strongly support the assessment that there is no evidence for exposure-induced damage to human skin cells.”

Wireless devices and facilities must adhere to radio frequency (RF) emission guidelines established and enforced by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has stated “no scientific evidence currently establishes a definitive link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses.” The FCC continuously monitors new study results.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated “to date, and after much research
performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also stated “to date, and after much research
performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.”

According to the FCC, “measurements made near typical cellular and PCS cell sites have shown that ground-level power densities are well below the exposure limits recommended by RF/microwave safety standards used by the FCC.

Published by the Toxicology Sciences journal, in January 2026 , a study conducted in collaboration with Japanese and Korean provides strong evidence that long-term exposure to 900 MHz RF-EMFs did not produce reproducible carcinogenic or genotoxic effects in male rats. No statistically significant increases in the incidences of neoplastic or non-neoplastic lesions were found in any major organ, including the brain, heart, and adrenal glands. Genotoxicity assays revealed no evidence of DNA damage or chromosomal aberrations in RF-exposed rats.

In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a review of 100 studies of animal exposure and found “these studies have not produced any clear evidence that RFR exposure has any tumorigenic effect.”

Based on the evaluation of the currently available information, the FDA states that “the weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phone radio frequency radiation with any health problems” and the “scientific evidence does not show a danger to users of cell phones from radio frequency exposure, including children and teenagers.”

The American Cancer Society states that “so far, there is no clear evidence that cell phone use increases brain tumor risk. Ongoing international studies continue to follow long-term cell phone users to monitor potential health effects.”  Additionally, the organization states “current evidence has not shown that RF radiation exposure from 5G networks is a health concern. Research on long-term exposure is ongoing.”