Restart NTP’s RF research and modernize U.S. RF safety standards

Why this matters (2025)

The evidence has moved. A WHO‑commissioned animal carcinogenicity review (2025) rates the certainty of evidence as high for increased malignant heart schwannomas and gliomas in male rats exposed to RF—exactly the tumor types that have repeatedly shown up in large toxicology projects. PubMed
Reproduction is flashing red. A WHO‑project systematic review on male fertility issued a 2025 corrigendum reporting a pooled OR ≈ 1.68 (95% CI 1.06–2.65) for reduced pregnancy rate in exposed experimental mammals—explicitly described as a detrimental effect. pure.amsterdamumc.nl
Pregnancy outcomes (humans). A 2025 prospective cohort (n = 1,666) associated longer cell‑phone call duration during pregnancy with higher miscarriage risk and abnormal birth anthropometrics after adjustment. PMC
Mechanism (non‑thermal). Updated mechanistic work details how pulsed/modulated RF perturbs voltage‑gated ion channels (VGIC/VGCC), disrupts Ca²⁺ signaling, and drives oxidative stress—pathways that do not require heating to cause biological effects. PMC

Regulatory reality check

In 2021, the D.C. Circuit held that the FCC’s decision to keep 1996 limits was “arbitrary and capricious” with respect to non‑cancer harms, and remanded the matter. That gap still persists. Justia Law
On Feb 2, 2024, NTP effectively shut down its RF program; NIH’s own fact sheet says “no plans for additional RFR exposure research.” This occurred precisely as hazard signals strengthened. Microwave News+1
HHS is on the hook—by law. Public Law 90‑602 / 21 U.S.C. §360ii says the Secretary “shall” establish and carry out an electronic product radiation control program, including performance standards for electronic products; §360kk empowers mandatory standards when necessary to protect health. That mandate is not optional. Legal Information Institute+2Legal Information Institute+2
Leadership exists to act. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now HHS Secretary (confirmed Feb 13, 2025). The portfolio—and duty—are his. U.S. Senate+1

Cut through the noise: the INTERPHONE point that gets misused

It’s misleading when people say “INTERPHONE was null except for the highest users.” In INTERPHONE, the “highest decile” was ≥ 1,640 lifetime hours—~30 minutes/day over 10 years—a threshold far below how many teens and adults now use phones. The paper itself reported suggestions of increased glioma risk in that top decile (and cautioned about biases). The “30 minutes/day” benchmark is from INTERPHONE’s own materials and contemporaneous analyses. OUP Academic+3OUP Academic+3PubMed+3

Bottom line: Calling ~30 minutes/day “extreme use” in 2025 is indefensible.

Mechanistic plausibility (why we can’t shrug this off)

Modern immunology and neuro‑cardiac physiology are electrogenic as well as biochemical. Voltage‑gated ion channels (S4 voltage sensor) encode timing; pulsed RF can inject phase noise into these gates and mistime Ca²⁺ oscillations that drive gene programs (e.g., NFAT/NF‑κB). Disturbed timing also stresses mitochondria, boosting mtROS/mtDNA, which in turn primes innate immunity (cGAS–STING, TLR9, NLRP3). That’s a non‑thermal pathway from patterned RF → signaling errors → inflammation/immune dysregulation that aligns with animal tumor targets in heart and nerve (VGIC‑ and mitochondria‑dense). PMC+1

What must happen now (2025)

1) Restart and expand NTP’s RF program immediately.

Priorities: replicate/extend animal cancer & reproduction findings; prenatal & early‑life windows; real‑world pulsing/modulation; preregistered protocols; open data; and timing‑centric endpoints (ion‑channel gating jitter; Ca²⁺ oscillation bandwidth; mtDAMP activation). NIEHS

2) Stand up an HHS RF‑Hazard program under PL 90‑602.

Use statutory authority to set performance standards for consumer RF devices: duty‑cycle ceilings, peak modulation limits, body‑contact and sleep‑proximity safeguards, and indoor‑environment controls where exposure is most controllable. Legal Information Institute+1

3) Coordinate with FCC to modernize national exposure limits.

Fulfill the 2021 court remand; update metrics to reflect patterning (pulsing, burstiness), peak as well as average exposure, cumulative dose, and co‑exposures in real multi‑device settings. Justia Law

4) Issue precautionary guidance now—especially for pregnancy and children.

Distance (speaker/wired), shorter calls, airplane mode on the body during sleep, routers/access points out of bedrooms/classrooms. These are immediate, low‑cost steps while standards catch up, and they directly target exposure drivers implicated in the newest data. PMC

5) Clean Ether indoors.

Accelerate LiFi deployments (line‑of‑sight, light‑based networking) under IEEE 802.11bb (2023) to shift traffic off microwave bands in schools, nurseries, hospitals, and offices; pair with hardwired backbones and photobiological safety standards (IEC 62471/62471‑7). IEEE Standards Association

Talking points you can use (without hedging)

Animal carcinogenicity: WHO‑project review (2025): High certainty that RF increases gliomas and malignant heart schwannomas in male rats. This is not a blog post—that’s a peer‑reviewed Environment International review commissioned for WHO’s evidence update. PubMed
Male fertility: After correction, the pooled OR ≈ 1.68 for reduced pregnancy rate in exposed mammals stands. That’s a signal you act on, not ignore. pure.amsterdamumc.nl
Pregnancy cohort: Prospective data (n = 1,666) link call duration during pregnancy to miscarriage risk and altered infant size—exactly the kind of endpoint we should minimize while limits update. PMC
Law is on our side: 21 U.S.C. §360ii literally says the Secretary shall run an electronic product radiation control program; §360kk authorizes performance standards. Use it. Legal Information Institute+1
Court order: The D.C. Circuit already told FCC in 2021 that keeping 1996 limits without addressing non‑cancer harms was arbitrary and capricious. Time’s up. Justia Law
NTP exit ≠ “no problem.” NIH’s own materials say no plans for additional RFR research; Microwave News reports the program closed. That’s a funding/priority choice, not a scientific all‑clear. NIEHS+1
INTERPHONE framing: The “heavy‑use” category was ≥ 1,640 hours lifetime—~30 minutes/day over 10 years—and even at that level there were signals for glioma. In 2025, that threshold is routine for many users. interphone.iarc.who.int+1

Immediate federal actions

NTP: Reopen RF research in 90 days. Issue an RFA focused on pulsed/modulated real‑world signals, prenatal/early life, and timing‑centric cellular endpoints. Commit to open protocols and data. NIEHS
HHS/FDA (EPRC): Initiate rulemaking under §360kk to create performance standards for RF emissions in consumer devices, including duty‑cycle caps, peak‑to‑average limits, sleep‑proximity lockouts, and child‑mode profiles. Legal Information Institute
FCC: Start a joint HHS‑FCC proceeding to update national exposure limits and measurement protocols to include temporal patterning, body contact, and multi‑device aggregation, satisfying the 2021 remand. Justia Law
Federal facilities & schools: Adopt LiFi‑first procurement indoors; require hardwired backhaul; restrict overnight RF beacons in dorms and hospital wards. IEEE 802.11bb is in place—use it. IEEE Standards Association
Public health guidance: Launch an HHS advisory for pregnant people and children on distance/time practices and nighttime RF hygiene while standards update—grounded in the 2025 cohort and WHO‑review findings. PMC+1

Anticipate the pushback—and rebut it fast

“No rise in U.S. brain cancer → no problem.” National incidence trends are a blunt instrument. Animal evidence with high certainty for specific tumor types plus plausible non‑thermal mechanisms warrants targeted regulation and research regardless of incidence plateaus. PubMed+1
“INTERPHONE was null.” Misleading. Top‑decile (~30 min/day) showed increased glioma risk; authors flagged bias but did not call it spurious. In 2025, 30 min/day is not heavy use. OUP Academic+1
“NTP stopped = no hazard.” NIH’s own fact sheet says no plans for more research, not no risk. The 2018–2025 arc strengthens hazard signals; program closure is administrative, not scientific. NIEHS

Final word

This is not the moment for “wait and see.” The animal carcinogenicity signal is high‑certainty for the most plausible target tissues; reproductive and pregnancy endpoints are trending in the wrong direction; and mechanistic pathways below thermal thresholds are coherent and testable. The law requires action; the courts already told FCC to do better; and HHS has the authority—today—to set performance standards. Let’s use it. Justia Law+5PubMed+5pure.amsterdamumc.nl+5