John Coates, RF Engineer, Li-Fi Patent Holder, 30+ Years in Electromagnetic Technologies
Synthesizing the latest peer-reviewed evidence and historical record
Executive Summary
For nearly three decades, wireless radiation safety limits have been based exclusively on acute thermal heating, ignoring thousands of studies showing non-thermal biological effects at levels far below current guidelines. In 2025, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) commissioned systematic reviews finally acknowledged what independent scientists have documented for decades:
- High certainty evidence that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) cause malignant schwannomas of the heart and gliomas of the brain in laboratory animals (Mevissen et al., Environment International, April 2025).
- High certainty evidence that male exposure reduces pregnancy rates in animal studies, with consistent findings of sperm damage, testosterone disruption, and mitochondrial collapse at non-thermal levels (Cordelli et al., 2024 with 2025 corrigendum).
These are the same rare tumor types seen in the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) and Ramazzini Institute studies – tumors that occur without measurable heating.
The mechanism is no longer speculative: polarized, modulated RF disrupts voltage-sensor (S4) timing in ion channels → irregular Ca²⁺ signaling → mitochondrial ROS overload in high-mitochondria tissues (heart conduction cells, cranial nerve Schwann cells, glial cells, Leydig cells, immune cells).
Yet U.S. exposure limits remain frozen since 1996, enforced by a captured FCC and protected by Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act – a law that strips citizens and local governments of their constitutional rights to object to wireless infrastructure on health grounds.
This white paper documents the scientific certainty of harm, the history of suppression and regulatory capture, and a practical solution: accelerate biologically safe alternatives like Li-Fi (IEEE 802.11bb light-based communication) for indoor environments while retaining low-power RF where necessary outdoors.
The damage is real. The fix is ready. Continued inaction is no longer defensible.
1. The Science Is Settled: High-Certainty Non-Thermal Harm
1.1 Cancer in Animals – High CertaintyMevissen et al. (2025) – the final WHO-commissioned animal carcinogenicity review – analyzed 52 studies and concluded:
- High certainty of evidence for malignant schwannomas of the heart in male rats.
- Moderate-to-high certainty for malignant gliomas in the brain.
- Moderate certainty for pheochromocytomas (adrenal) and hepatocellular carcinomas (liver).
These findings replicate the NTP (2018) “clear evidence” and Ramazzini (2018) results at exposures as low as 0.001–0.1 W/kg – orders of magnitude below FCC limits.
1.2 Male Fertility Collapse – High CertaintyCordelli et al. (2024/2025 corrigendum):
- High certainty that RF-EMF exposure of males reduces pregnancy rates in animal mating trials.
- Consistent non-thermal effects: sperm count/motility decline, DNA fragmentation, Leydig-cell mitochondrial damage, testosterone suppression.
This aligns with the observed 50–60 % global drop in sperm counts since the 1970s – temporally correlated with ubiquitous wireless deployment.
1.3 Unified Mechanism: S4-Mitochondria PathwayPanagopoulos (ion forced-oscillation), Pall (VGCC), Jangid (2025 reproductive review), Durdík (immune ROS scaling) – all converge on the same entry point: irregular gating of voltage-sensor (S4) domains → distorted Ca²⁺ waveforms → mitochondrial ROS in excitable, mitochondria-dense tissues. Tissues hit hardest (heart, brain, testis, immune) match the tumor and fertility endpoints exactly.
2. Regulatory Capture: How Industry Wrote the Rules
- Pre-1996 warnings ignored: Frey (BBB opening), Becker, Guy, Adey – non-thermal effects known since the 1960s–80s.
- CTIA’s $28M WTR program (George Carlo): Early DNA-break signals → funding cut, results buried.
- 1996 Telecom Act: Same year thermal limits locked in, Congress passed Section 704 – preempting local health-based objections and violating 1st, 5th, and 10th Amendment rights.
- FCC revolving door (ongoing in 2025): Tom Wheeler → CTIA → FCC Chair; Ajit Pai → FCC Chair → CTIA CEO (2025); Brendan Carr authors Project 2025 FCC chapter.
- NTP sabotage: After 2018 “clear evidence” of cancer, further RF research defunded and program wound down despite Public Law 90-602 mandate.
- 2021 DC Circuit ruling (EHT v. FCC): FCC admits no review of non-thermal evidence since 1996 – ruled “arbitrary and capricious.” No meaningful fix in four years.
3. The Solution Exists Today: Li-Fi and Biologically Compatible Connectivity
We do not need to sacrifice connectivity. Visible-light communication (Li-Fi, IEEE 802.11bb ratified 2023) is ready:
- Faster: >1 Gbps demonstrated, potential 100+ Gbps.
- Safer: No RF penetration into the body; light is blocked by walls (inherent security).
- Health-compatible: Zero electromagnetic pollution in the RF spectrum; ideal for schools, hospitals, homes.
- Deployed 2025: pureLiFi’s Light Antenna ONE module fits in phones; Signify, Oledcomm, Terra Ferma military/government systems; du Telecom partnerships.
Strategy:
- Mandate Li-Fi/Wi-Fi alternatives in all new indoor builds (schools first).
- Repeal Section 704 and restore local health authority.
- Shift FCC/ICNIRP limits to biologically based (e.g., <0.001 W/kg precautionary).
- Fund independent replication and Li-Fi acceleration.
Conclusion & Call to Action
The evidence is no longer “limited” or “inadequate.” In 2025 the WHO itself rates key endpoints as high certainty harm from non-thermal RF. Continuing to irradiate children in schools, workers in offices, and families at home is not “conservative” – it is reckless experimentation on the population.
We have the engineering fix. Li-Fi is proven, standardized, and scaling. It is time to end the 1996 mistake, dismantle the captured framework, and build a wireless future that respects biology.
The science is settled.
The technology is ready.
All that remains is the political will.
Contact
John Coates @rfsafe – RF Engineer & Li-Fi Inventor 727-610-1188
John Coates @rfsafe – RF Engineer & Li-Fi Inventor 727-610-1188