An Australian-led study has found no evidence linking mobile phone use to brain cancer, despite a dramatic increase in wireless technology use over recent decades.
The review, conducted by 11 researchers from 10 countries and led by experts from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), examined 5,000 studies.
It was commissioned by the World Health Organization to assess potential health risks from mobile phone radio wave exposure.
The study reviewed data from 63 studies conducted between 1994 and 2022. Despite concerns raised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2011, which classified radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen, the new review found no increased rates of brain cancer associated with mobile phone use.
ARPANSA’s Associate Professor Ken Karipidis noted that this comprehensive review, incorporating a larger dataset than previous studies, confirms that radio wave exposure from mobile phones is not a significant health risk.
Professor Mark Elwood from the University of Auckland added that even with extensive phone use, no increased risk of brain cancer was detected, concluding with “moderate confidence” that mobile phones do not pose a cancer risk.
Main findings
The study found:
- The overall brain tumour rates remained stable throughout this period and showed no increase when compared with the increase of mobile phone use in Australia.
- There was an increase of glioblastoma during 1993 and 2002 which was attributed to better diagnostic techniques with advances made in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
- Although mobile phone use has risen rapidly since 2003 there has been no increase in any brain tumour types since then.
- Since 2003 there has also been no increase in brain tumours of the temporal lobe, which is the location most exposed when using a mobile phone.
What you should do if you are still concerned
If you are concerned about using mobile phones there are several steps you can take to reduce your exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME).
- Place your phone on hands-free mode when making a call. Using your phone in hands-free mode increases the distance between the mobile phone and your head which reduces your exposure to RF EME.
- Send a text instead of making a call. When making a call your mobile phone is in constant communication with the base station which also exposes you to RF EME. If you send a text this exposure is shortened and reduced.
- Limit the duration of your calls. Limiting the duration of your calls will limit your exposure to RF EME.
- Make calls where reception is good. When making a call in an area of poor phone reception your mobile phone has to increase its RF EME output to communicate with the base station. When making a phone call in an area with good phone reception, your mobile phone does not need to use as much RF EME.
