Abstract

Overview of the Study

The goal of this systematic review is to assess the strength and quality of evidence regarding the association between radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and cancer risk in humans.

Methods Employed

• Inclusion of cohort and case-control studies on neoplasia related to RF-EMF exposure.
• Use of Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) risk-of-bias tool for assessment.
• Data synthesis through random effects REML models and mixed effects models for dose-response analyses.
• Information sources included Medline, Embase, and EMF-Portal.

Key Findings

After assessing 63 articles, no significant association was found between RF-EMF exposure from mobile phones, cordless phones and fixed-site transmitters, and various neoplastic diseases such as glioma, meningioma, and leukaemia.

Discussion and Conclusion

The evidence suggests moderate certainty that near-field RF-EMF exposure from mobile phone use does not increase cancer risk for numerous neoplastic conditions. Similarly, environmental RF exposure from fixed-site transmitters likely does not increase childhood leukaemia risk. Sensitivity analyses and leave-one-out meta-analyses confirmed the robustness of these conclusions.

There were limitations due to variability in bias across studies and external coherence with time-trend simulation studies, suggesting the need for cautious interpretation of certain findings.