JNS: In a new systematic review commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), researchers have found no evidence linking mobile phone use with an increased risk of brain cancer. The study, led by Associate Professor Ken Karipidis from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the potential health effects of radio wave exposure.
Karipidis emphasized that the review provides a more extensive analysis compared to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) 2013 classification of radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen. “The IARC’s classification was based on limited evidence from observational studies at that time,” Karipidis stated. “Our review, which encompasses a much larger dataset and includes more recent studies, offers stronger assurance that exposure to radio waves from mobile phones is not a health hazard.”
The WHO is preparing an Environmental Health Criterion Monograph that will incorporate findings from this review as well as other WHO-commissioned studies. According to Karipidis, the topic of health effects from wireless technology has been extensively researched.
“Our review evaluated over 5,000 studies published between 1994 and 2022, with 63 studies included in the final analysis,” Karipidis noted. “Despite the significant increase in wireless technology use over the past two decades, there has been no corresponding rise in brain cancer incidence.”
As Australia’s leading authority on radiation protection, ARPANSA will continue to conduct research and review scientific evidence to ensure its radio wave exposure standards and public health recommendations remain up-to-date.
