A new review commissioned by the World Health Organization has revealed intriguing findings about the link between phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer.
The careful review of published evidence available worldwide found that despite the huge increase in the use of wireless technology, there has been no corresponding increase in brain cancer cases, and this is true for people who make long phone calls or who have used mobile phones for more than a decade.
The analysis included 63 studies from 1994 to 2022, which were evaluated by 11 experts from 10 countries, including the Australian government’s Radiation Protection Authority.
Co-author Mark Elwood, professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, said the review assessed the effects of radiofrequency radiation used in mobile phones as well as television, baby monitors and radar.
He added: “None of the main issues studied showed an increased risk.”
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The review covered brain cancers in adults and children, as well as pituitary and salivary gland cancers, leukemia, and risks associated with mobile phone use or transmitters, as well as occupational exposure.
The World Health Organization and other international health bodies have previously reported that there is no conclusive evidence of adverse health effects from radiation used in mobile phones, but have called for more research.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) currently classifies this radiation exposure as “probably carcinogenic,” or category 2B, which is the category used when the agency cannot rule out a possible link.
The WHO Advisory Group called for a re-evaluation of the classification of wireless radiation as soon as possible based on new data.
The WHO assessment will be released in the first quarter of next year.
