This year, you can come prepared for a possible topic of conversation: An expansive review of scientific literature has concluded that cellphones do not cause head cancers.
The recent paper, published in the journal Environment International, is not based on any new experiments or studies.
Instead, it is a systematic review of 63 studies published between 1994 and 2022 on the connections between radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), the type of non-ionizing radiation emitted by cell phones, and common head-based cancers.
Those cancers included ones found in the brain and its protective membranes, the pituitary gland, salivary glands, as well as brain tumors and leukemias.
In virtually no cases was a link detected between the radiation and elevated cancer risks, even for people who spent nearly all day in close proximity to their phones.
The idea that cell phones cause cancer is one of those beliefs many people are uncertain about, but it feels plausible.
After all, we’re holding a small radiation receiver next to our head for minutes, or even hours, at a time.
On its website, the American Cancer Society says studies into the ties between phones and different types of cancer have had “mixed” results, but added that many of these studies have had limitations.
Some studies into rising rates of head cancers have been taken wildly out of context by conspiracy theorists, bad faith actors, and the simply misinformed.
The theory has been so pervasive that the New York Times and Washinginton post both ran stories with the headline “Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?”, with the articles running 13 years apart.
With Thanksgiving in just a few months, now is the perfect time to get ready for that yearly screaming match with strange relatives. This year, you can be ready with the following possible conversation starter: a thorough analysis of the scientific literature has found no evidence linking cellphone use to head cancers.
It is not based on any recent experiments or studies, according to the most recent paper that was published in the journal Environment International. Rather, it is a comprehensive analysis of sixty-three research works that were released between 1994 and 2022 regarding the relationships between RF-EMF—a non-ionizing radiation—and common head-based cancers.
These cancers included brain tumors and leukemias, as well as ones that were discovered in the pituitary gland, salivary glands, brain and its protective membranes, and salivary glands. Led by an international team of physicians and medical researchers, the review was commissioned and partially funded by the World Health Organization. It concluded that exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phones did not increase the risk of any of the many cancers and tumors that can occur, nor was it associated with childhood leukemia or brain tumors in children.
The analysis employed a variety of studies that looked at RF-EMF from different sources and were carried out in 22 different countries. These included radiation coming from sources that were near to the person’s head, like a cell phone tower, from farther away, like a hand-held transceiver, and from both sources, like people who were exposed to radiation from work-related devices or hand-held transceivers. They also looked at the duration of radiation exposure for individuals.
Not even for those who spent almost the entire day close to their phones was a correlation found between increased cancer risks and radiation exposure. For individuals exposed to a work-related level of radiation, glioma—a type of brain or spinal tumor—was the lone exception. According to the researchers, even in that case, the risk “was not significantly increased,” and it did not increase even in the event that the cumulative exposure level did.
One of those ideas that many people are unsure about but find plausible is the theory that cell phones cause cancer. Consider this: for minutes or even hours at a time, we are holding a tiny radiation receiver against our heads. The fact that the data was frequently unclear did not help. While many of these studies have had limitations, the American Cancer Society notes on its website that there have been “mixed” results from investigations into the possible links between phones and various cancer types.
Some conspiracy theorists, dishonest people, and the plainly ignorant have drastically misinterpreted certain research about the rising incidence of head cancer. The theory has gained so much traction that, 13 years apart, the New York Times and Washington Post published articles under the headline “Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?”. The theory was put forth by Robert Kennedy, Jr., a lawyer, failed presidential candidate, and sellout. who has endorsed additional debunked medical theories.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer identified RF-EMF as potentially carcinogenic to humans in 2011. However, Ken Karipidis, assistant director of Health Impact Assessment at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, who oversaw the study, stated in a statement that the decision was “largely based on limited evidence from human observational studies.”.
We can be more certain that exposure to radio waves from wireless technology does not pose a risk to human health because, in comparison to the dataset the IARC looked at, this systematic review of human observational studies is based on a much larger dataset that also includes more recent and thorough studies, he continued.
That’s it for you. You can now demonstrate that phone radiation isn’t the cause of brain tumors, as conclusively as science can demonstrably prove anything. Your science and facts will be uncompromising, and your strange uncle, cousin, or whatever will have to submit. Which they will undoubtedly do before swiftly switching to Bill Gates’ vaccine nanobots and adrenochrome. You did try, after all.
