A comprehensive review commissioned by the World Health Organisation and led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Arpansa), examined over 5,000 studies, selecting only the most scientifically rigorous and excluding weaker studies.
The final analysis included 63 observational studies in humans published between 1994 and 2022, making it “the most comprehensive review to date,” said the review's lead author, Associate Professor Ken Karipidis. “We concluded the evidence does not show a link between mobile phones and brain cancer or other head and neck cancers.”
Published on Wednesday, the review focused on cancers of the central nervous system, salivary gland tumours, and brain tumours. It found no overall association between mobile phone use and cancer, no link with prolonged use, and no connection with the amount of mobile phone use.
The study noted that even though mobile phone use has skyrocketed, brain tumour rates have remained stable. Mobile phones emit radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation, also known as radio waves, similar to other wireless technologies.
The report said that part of the confusion is that the great unwashed thinkin that mobile phone radiation is the same as nuclear radiation and because we use a mobile phone close to the head when we’re making calls, there is a lot of concern.
“Radiation is basically energy that travels from one point to another. There are many different types, for example, ultraviolet radiation from the sun,” he explained. “We’re always exposed to low-level radio waves in the everyday environment,” the report said.
While exposure from mobile phones is higher than from other wireless technology sources, it remains low. The association between mobile phones and cancer originated from early studies that compared people with brain tumours to those without, often leading to biased results.
Based on some early studies suggesting a possible link between mobile phone use and brain cancer, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radio-frequency fields as a possible cancer risk.
The IARC has different classifications of cancer risk, with radio frequency electromagnetic fields placed in the same category as aloe vera and pickled vegetables. Despite concerns raised by high-profile doctors, more recent cohort studies have not found a link between mobile phones and cancer.
A WHO-commissioned review found no evidence linking mobile phones to a drop in male fertility. Another review found some associations with female fertility, but only at exposure levels far above safety limits.
Tim Driscoll, a professor at the University of Sydney, said the review’s methodology was strong and the researchers independent. “I think people should feel reassured by this study … but it’s worthwhile just remembering that the studies aren’t perfect,” Driscoll said.
Karipidis and his team are now examining cancers less commonly associated with mobile phones, such as leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He emphasized the importance of ongoing research as technology continues to evolve.